The California Air Resources Board recently revised its proposed “cool car” rules to exclude the soft top version of the Jeep Wrangler , but it appears as though more revisions are on the way as safety officials speak out against the proposed regulations.
Set to take effect in 2012, California’s “cool car” rules mandate a vehicle must prevent 45 percent of the sun’s energy from entering the vehicle. That figure is set to increase to 60 percent by 2016.
However, many safety organizations – such as California Police Chiefs Association, California State Sheriffs Association and Crime Victims United of California – contest the “cool car” regulations could have a negative impact on overall safety.
Due to the extra window glazing required to meet the 45 percent and 60 percent mandates, in-car cell phone service could be greatly degraded – especially in remote locations. As a result, calls to 911 could be negatively affected, as could the use of location services such as E-911.
Authorities have also warned CARB that the “cool car” rules could even block signals from monitoring devices worn by felons. Toll booth collectors are worried that the regulations could impact their “EZ pass” collection system.
CARB is said to be going back to the drawing board with its “cool car” rules, but must work quickly as the final rules must be in place by May 7th. California says the “cool car” rules will have the same effect as taking 140,000 cars of the road each year.
References
1. ‘California to amend…’ view
