No More Recalled Cars for Rental Car Companies

As a Los Angeles accident attorney, I've handled auto accidents involving rental cars.Rental cars involve unique legal issues, and this week an important new federal law was passed to improve safety for customers renting cars throughout the country.The law is named after Raechel and Jacqueline Houck.  The sisters were killed in 2004 when their PT Cruiser rental car malfunctioned near Paso Robles, California.It turns out that the sisters were driving a PT Cruiser that had been recalled in the weeks prior to the fatal collision.   No law was in place preventing rental car companies from renting out recalled vehicles.That changed this week.Cally Houck, the mother of Raechel and Jacqueline, led a grassroots effort over the past decade urging Congress to change the law.  Ms. Houck is also an attorney, and she testified at a Senate hearing how her daughters' lives could have been saved had a law been in place to prevent Enterprise from renting the recalled car to her daughters.As the legislation progressed, other car companies began supporting it, including General Motors and Takata.  Both companies have been plagued by safety issues over the past few years.This is a tragic story, but hopefully more lives will be saved as a result of this new law.  Rental car companies can no longer rent recalled cars to their customers.It's a great day for consumers.  Kudos to Ms. Houck for her courageous efforts to get this important new law passed.For questions about your Los Angeles auto accident, the Rabbi Lawyer is ready to assist, 24/6!