Maryland Passes Auto Glass Safety Bill
The Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) won a key legislative victory on April 6 when the Maryland State Legislature passed auto glass safety legislation that would incorporate the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS) into state law. The Maryland Governor had until June 1 to sign, veto or let the bill pass.
In 2020, AGSC staff began developing model legislation for states to adopt the AGRSS voluntary industry standard into their legal framework. Working with safety advocates in Maryland, it helped introduce, advocate for and pass legislation that directs the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to promulgate regulations for aftermarket safety glass
installation that meets or exceeds the AGRSS Standard.
AGSC board members Mike Schenian of City Auto Glass, Ted Andersen of NOVUS and Debra Levy of AGSC as well as Patrick Heflin, regional manager for AGSC member Glass America, and Randy Layton, general manager for AGSC member Go-Glass, testified in House and Senate Committee hearings, via Zoom, in support of the legislation.
AGSC Collaborating With Government Relations
“Great discussion! Thank you for your work to keep your customers safe,” tweeted Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), to @AutoGlassSafety (the AGSC Twitter handle) after a March 18 Zoom meeting between the leaderships of the GHSA and the AGSC. GHSA represents the state and territorial highway safety offices that implement federal programs to address behavioral highway safety issues.
AGSC Board Members and staff delivered a presentation to the group on the safety imperatives of proper auto glass installation with a focus on the urgency of calibration issues associated with ADAS.
Pursuing collaboration between the two groups is part of an ongoing effort by AGSC to engage with leading safety organizations across the country. GHSA members are the key safety officers in each state capital, often housed within the state’s Department of Transportation or of Motor Vehicles. They seek to move toward zero deaths on the nation’s roadways.
The two groups are following up and examining to partner with law enforcement to collect data on windshield failures in crash investigations.
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