Infiniti of Norwood ��

from July 2021 Northeast Edition

Classifieds ��

Auto glass safety legislation requiring the state to adopt regulations that “meet or exceed” the ANSI/AGSC/ Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS) has been enacted by the State of Maryland. The bill was passed by the state legislature in April and was on a long list of bills issued by the Maryland governor this weekend that will be allowed to pass into law prior the state’s June 1 veto deadline. The bill is based on model legislation developed and supported by the Auto Glass Safety Council. It requires the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MD MVA) “adopt regulations establishing standards and requirements for aftermarket safety glass replacement that… meet or exceed the standards an requirements of the American National Standards Institute/Auto Glass Safety Council/Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard.”

Aftermarket safety glass is defined as “vehicle safety glass replacement services that occur after the original installation by a vehicle manufacturer.” The legislation passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote on 128-6 on March 12 and the Maryland Senate 47-0 on April 6. “I am pleased that my legislation for Maryland to adopt auto glass safety standards has been enacted,” said Maryland Delegate Kumar Barve, chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee and sponsor of the bill. “I am greatly appreciative of all of the hard work of the safety advocates in supporting this bill. The Motor Vehicle Administration has already begun work on drafting the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard into state law and I look forward to working with them throughout the process.”

The legislation drew support from many in the auto glass industry who testified at hearings before state legislators, including the Auto Glass Safety Council, Glass America, Novus and Safelite. “We are grateful that Maryland has taken the lead in adopting the AGRSS, a voluntary industry standard, into state law to better protect automobile drivers and their passengers. We look forward to working with other states to enact similar auto glass safety standards,” said Seth Maiman, AGSC’s director of public affairs. tiple options, such as hybrids and fuel-cell cars. He also said these vehicle types need to compete with one another to offer people the best options.

While Ford, GM and Volkswagen have made it clear they’re going “all in” related to a future of EVs, Toyota argues battery-powered cars aren’t necessarily the way of the future. Moreover, it believes “non-electric cars” will continue to thrive in markets across the globe.

“Some people love battery-electric vehicles but others don’t see the current technologies as convenient,” Toyota’s Chief Technology Officer Masahiko Maeda explained. “In the end what matters is what customers choose.”

As we previously reported, Toyota is saying publically it will leave the decision to car shoppers. However, Toyota isn’t just citing a lack of demand for EVs as the only concern.

Rather, according to Automotive News, it also suggests the materials needed to make EV batteries “could account for a larger share of total emissions than those from tailpipes.”

Nonetheless, Toyota did say it will make an effort to reduce production costs associated with EVs, though it will do so by producing them alongside other vehicles that don’t use battery-electric powertrains.

Toyota says to truly reduce carbon emissions, automakers must look at a vehicle’s entire lifecycle, not just its tailpipe emissions.

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