Louisiana legislature enacts bill to curb air bag fraud

The Louisiana legislature has completed action on Senate Bill 32, which will establish stricter definitions and penalties for air bag fraud. Act No. 105 will take effect in August of this year and is comprised of the following:

            • No person shall knowingly install or reinstall in any motor vehicle a counterfeit or nonfunctional air bag or any other object intended to fulfill the function of an air bag that does not meet the definition of “air bag” set forth in this bill.

            • No person shall knowingly manufacture, import, sell or offer for sale a counterfeit or nonfunctional air bag.

            • No person shall knowingly sell, install or reinstall a device in a motor vehicle that causes the diagnostic system of the vehicle to indicate inaccurately that the vehicle is equipped with a functional air bag.

Along with Louisiana, the New York legislature is considering Assembly Bill 9730, which affects the sale and installation of recycled air bags. It also proposes penalties for those who install, reinstall, or offer for sale any “inflatable occupant restraint system” that does not meet federal safety requirements.

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry. Please join ASA July 30-Aug. 2 in Detroit for this year’s International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) and Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). For more information visit www.NACEexpo.com and www.CARSevent.com.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.

Subscribe to ABRN and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here