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U.S. Weighs Stricter Car-Safety Rules

Obama Administration Considering Mandating Brake-Override and Crash-Recording Technologies

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is considering new rules on the design of automobiles, including possible requirements that cars be equipped with advanced-brake technology and "black boxes" that record crash data, the top U.S. highway-safety regulator said Thursday.

David Strickland, chief of the Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, made his remarks at a U.S. House hearing during which he defended his agency's response to safety problems involving Toyota Motor Corp.

"We have been a very active agency" in responding to the Toyota recalls, Mr. Strickland told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, calling criticism of the agency "not valid at ...

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