A grieving father wants mandatory emissions testing for older vehicles that travel on Indiana roads.
Savannah Bettis was killed in a car accident after seeping carbon monoxide caused her boyfriend to crash.
John Bettis believes Savannah would be alive today if the car she was riding in had undergone a simple emissions test.
He wants a state law passed.
"It needs to be passed so it don't hurt nobody else," he said.
Savannah, 18, was killed in the crash last June. Her boyfriend, Jesse Hurt, 20, survived the crash. But toxicology tests determined both had high levels of carbon monoxide in their systems.
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Savannah was 4 feet, 8 inches tall. Nearly 50 percent of her body was saturated with carbon monoxide.
There was an exhaust leak getting into the passenger compartment that neither knew about.
"I will never get over losing my daughter. Same with my wife and the rest of the community. She touched a lot of lives. She is extremely missed. It was a senseless tragedy that can be prevented by this testing," Bettis said.
Bettis would like mandatory annual emissions testing for vehicles that are ten years old and older. Vehicles less than 10 years old would be tested every two years.
The owner of Ralph's Muffler & Brake Shop says there are too many cars on the road like the one that claimed Savannah's life.
"If they are driving around in a car with tape on the windows, and they are carrying children, they are at risk. That exhaust will suck into any leaky seals in the doors and the trunk anywhere. They are at risk," Kevin Potter said.
Bettis and his wife will be collecting petitions on behalf of a new law at the McAlister's Deli on Rockville Road in Avon Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
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