Washington lawmakers are unveiling new legislation aimed at regulating auto safety in an effort to reduce serious and fatal traffic accidents caused by defective vehicles, the New York Times reported.

The effort comes in the wake of the worldwide recall of more than 9 million Toyotas for a number of defects, including problems associated with sticking gas pedals. The company agreed last month to pay a record $16.375 million fine levied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It is the first serious look at auto safety undertaken by Congress since the deadly accidents involving Firestone tires and the Ford Explorer a decade ago. The Senate's version would also restrict ties between auto companies and staff members of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; one of the challenges of such safety organizations is those empowered with oversight are frequently former industry executives or are recruited or promised lucrative positions by industry insiders once they conclude their government service. Such cozy relationships have become a concern in other area of governments, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Recent Toyota recalls showed an urgent need to update safety standards to reflect modern vehicle technology and give auto safety regulators the stronger tools and resources they need to protect the public," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), who introduced the bill. "We can do better by the American people."

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 would require automobiles to be able to stop within a certain distance, even with an open throttle. Safety advocates have been lobbying for such a requirement for years. One means of accomplishing that goal would be for automakers to install brake override systems, although the proposed law does not specifically require them. Instead, the measure would require the NHTSA to create a rule requiring a minimum distance between accelerator and brake pedals and the vehicle floor and would require safety standards governing electronic vehicle controls.

The safety agency would also establish standards for keyless ignition standards, which have become increasingly popular. The rules would be aimed at creating uniformed steps for a driver to control a vehicle in the event of an emergency. And automakers would be required to install data records, similar to "black boxes" on airlines, which would record crucial accident data for testing and investigation.

Lastly, the bill would increase the civil penalties for automakers by 500 percent -- from $5,000 a vehicle to $25,000 per vehicle -- and remove the cap on penalties for manufacturers that fail to report vehicle defects or that provide misleading information. The $16 million fine levied against Toyota was the largest allowed by law, despite the fact that the government contends the company intentionally hid the safety defects from regulators and consumers for months before the recalls were announced amid a flurry of serious and fatal accidents.