The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been cracking down on recalls for the past few years, but the government agency appears to be lightening up when it comes to regulations. Last week NHTSA announced that it was delaying a mandate forcing all autos to feature backup technology by 2014, and now the agency has loosened up on windows.

Consumer Reports says that NHTSA withdrew a new rule that would require all automakers to feature an auto-reverse option that would prevent hand and neck injuries. The agency reportedly cited evidence that few injuries or deaths could be avoided by adding the technology.

The auto-reverse mandate was made at a time when many automatic widow switches needed to be pressed to activate the window. That led to incidents where children inadvertently stepped on or pressed the button, which in some cases resulted in an injury. Newer vehicles feature switches that need to be pulled up to activate, which greatly limits the risk.



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