THE RECENT recalls, especially the Toyota Recall over brake pedal and unintended acceleration have become food for thought for the Obama administration, which is now looking at creating new rules for automobile design. One of these new rules would be on putting in advanced brake technology in cars and adding Black boxes to record crash data.

David Strickland, Chief of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who is on the stand at the US House hearing over the agency's response to safety issues with Toyota Motors vehicles, stated that a review of vehicle designs and engine electronics systems is going on, to determine if design standards need to be updated. He had said, that in particlur, administrators are looking at whether new rules are required for accelerator pedal design and brakes.

In a written statement, David Strickland has said that the administration, after the review, is ready for mandatory brake override systems in all cars, if this aids in vehicle safety. He said, "If our review indicates that requiring this feature could substantially reduce the most dangerous kinds of sudden acceleration, we will strongly consider a rulemaking to require it."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA chief has also said that the administration is looking at whether event data recorders or black boxes and brake override systems are needed in all vehicles.