Car trade group backs fake airbag bill

The Association of Global Automakers has backed a law that would make it a crime to knowingly sell fake airbags in Maryland.

Counterfeit airbags made headlines last year when a court in North Carolina convicted a man for selling fakes imported from China. In that case the man received to up to ten years in prison, but legislators in Maryland fear their law is too weak on sellers of fake airbags.

Delegate Keiffer Mitchell Jr introduced a bill to strengthen the law, and has received backing from the car industry. "Counterfeit replacement airbags are a serious safety problem. We are working to pass legislation in Maryland and other states," Mike Stanton, Global Automakers’ CEO, said.

The House Environmental Matters Committee is due to hold a hearing on the Maryland legislation on March 1. If passed, the law would place a maximum sentence of five years in jail on the crime of knowingly selling or installing a fake or substandard airbag that contributes to injury or death.