It is an old advertising slogan “so much is riding on your tires.” The below story of a Mississippi fatal bus crash proves that point.
We have often blogged on this topic, but buses are not just tragic for the death that flows from them, but also the high probability of brain injury in such wrecks. No seat belts, no airbags, none of the safety engineering that has reduced the risk of brain injury so dramatically in passenger cars. We pray that those attending the injured do more than push pain killers and look for the obvious injury, but also ask probing questions of memory and cognitive function, so that any subtle brain injury is identified.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://fishtail.tv
http://subtlebraininjury.com
Date: 7/12/2009 7:27 PM
MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A bus carrying a church youth group from Louisiana to Georgia flipped Sunday on Interstate 20 in Mississippi, killing one person and injuring 23 others, a coroner said.
The bus, from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., rolled three times around 10:20 a.m. near Meridian and trapped at least two people underneath, Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler III said.
“It had a blowout,” Cobler said.
At least two passengers were trapped underneath the bus. A group of National Guard soldiers was on the highway at the time and helped extricate the injured.
“The National Guardsmen actually picked the bus up off the two people and got them out,” Cobler said.
An 18-year-old male was pronounced dead at a hospital, Cobler said. His name was not released.
Three people were airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, including one with severe head injuries, while the others were being treated at three hospitals in Meridian, the coroner said.
Cobler said injuries ranged from severe pelvic, back, and chest injuries to scrapes and scratches.
An official at Regency Hospital of Meridian said six people were taken there and another official at Rush Foundation Hospital said 13 people were being treated there, but neither would release the conditions of the crash victims.
Church officials told The Shreveport Times newspaper that the bus was headed to a weeklong youth event near Atlanta called “Passport.”
Phone messages left with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and Birmingham, Ala.-based Passport Inc. were not immediately returned.
The congregation learned of the accident shortly before Sunday morning worship and used the occasion to rally together in prayer.
“Our congregation is leaning on our faith and confidence in God,” First Baptist senior pastor Greg Hunt said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Researchers study ‘personality traits’ of cars
Just a reminder, if you replace only two of the tires on your car, the new tires go on the back.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://fishtail.tv
BILL KACZOR,Associated Press Writer
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://fishtail.tv
BILL KACZOR,Associated Press Writer
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The butterfly decals on the front bumper, flowers in the dashboard vase and lime-green paint job only confirmed Dennis Slice’s perception of a Volkswagen Beetle parked in a lot at Florida State University.
Slice, a shape analysis researcher, said the narrow body, wide-eyed circular headlights, tall windshield and curve of the bug’s hood match the facial features of a smiling woman or child.
“This is the classic cute car — not dominant, not aggressive,” said Slice, an associate professor of scientific computing at FSU. “I don’t think anyone could be mean to someone else in a Volkswagen Beetle.”
Slice and fellow researchers at Austria’s Vienna University, where he’s a guest professor, are exploring the widely held belief that cars project personalities because they look like human faces when viewed head-on.
Cartoonists, for instance, long have drawn anthropomorphic cars with toothy grills that grinned or frowned and headlights that winked or blinked. The creators of the recent animated film “Cars,” though, used windshields for eyes. They were afraid headlight peepers would have given racer Lightning McQueen and other denizens of Radiator Springs a snakelike appearance.
Three cars parked near the Beetle offer examples of the opposite end of the personality spectrum. A Mitsubishi Eclipse, Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger each practically ooze testosterone.
Their low, wide stances, long hoods, gaping grills and relatively narrow headlights give each of these sporty models a look that’s consistent with the facial features of an adult male, Slice said. Each projects a mature, dominant, aggressive and powerful personality.
“This is a car that’s ready to take care of business,” he said standing in front of the Eclipse. “You don’t want to mess with this car.”
Slice and his Vienna colleagues hope their work one day may help designers determine what parts of a car, such as the headlights, grill or windshield, they can change — and how — to project traits that make cars more appealing to different kinds of customers.
They’re taking the emerging field of shape analysis, or morphometrics, in a new direction. Most other applications have been biological or medical. For example, researchers are trying to determine if bone shapes can be used to help identify the age, gender and race of unknown human remains and how variations in facial features affect the fit and function of respirators.
The idea of seeing faces in inanimate objects is part of a survival instinct that goes back to prehistoric times, Slice said.
Facial features offering clues about a person’s sex, age, emotions and intentions helped early humans “know whether the guy that just stepped out of the bushes is going to take your head back for a trophy or invite you to lunch,” Slice said.
Those identifications are so important that people also tend to see faces even where they don’t exist.
“If you get it wrong and you see a face in a cloud or a stone or a mountain or some burnt toast then you might be frightened a little bit, but it’s no real cost to you,” Slice said. “But if you should ever miss a face and that person wants your head, then that’s a serious omission.”
Slice said future research may look at whether cars’ personalities relate to drivers’ habits and interactions.
“Possibilities are if you see an aggressive car in your rear view mirror you may be more like to pull over and yield to it,” he said. “By the same token, if you see a submissive or more immature car trying to get into traffic you may be more likely to yield to it and help the innocent little car get into traffic.”
Another question is whether drivers have the same personalities as their cars.
Slice got a bit of anecdotal evidence in the parking lot from Gwen Oliver, a custodial supervisor at Florida State, after telling her that her black Eclipse is dominant, aggressive, powerful and “ready to take care of business.”
“I am. Everything you said, I’m like that,” Oliver told him after she briskly walked over to see why he was interested in her car. “I’m aggressive, I’m straightforward and I’m outgoing and I believe in getting the job done.”
___
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
GM to build compact cars in US; UAW OKs contract
Date: 5/29/2009
TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) — The reformation of General Motors Corp. is in high gear.
The automaker said Friday that it plans to reopen a shuttered U.S. factory to build subcompact cars that will be the smallest vehicles GM has ever produced here. An element of the company’s shift from hulking SUVs to more gas-sipping microcars, the move comes as GM’s prepares to announce the fate of the poster child for gas guzzlers, the Hummer brand.
Meanwhile, as expected, the United Auto Workers ratified a package of concessions designed to reduce the automaker’s labor costs.
In Germany, the government and GM agreed on the framework of a deal for Magna International Inc. to take a majority stake in GM’s Opel unit, a person briefed on the negotiations said.
With an expected Chapter 11 filing looming, GM’s shares sunk below $1. The stock is expected to become worthless when GM reorganizes in bankruptcy court. GM’s filing for bankruptcy protection is expected Monday, when GM also plans to announce it will close 14 more factories, including four assembly plants.
A person briefed on GM’s plans said the small cars would be built at one of those plants. The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the plans, said GM has not determined which plant will get the new cars.
The retooled factory will be able to build 160,000 cars per year, GM said. It would create 1,200 jobs, the person said, offsetting some of the 21,000 that will be lost when GM closes the 14 factories by the end of next year.
The move to build the subcompact in the U.S. follows a firestorm caused by GM’s plans to produce up to 51,000 subcompacts per year in China and ship them to the U.S. starting in 2011, disclosed in documents submitted to Congress.
GM already builds the compact Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 at a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and it plans to retool that plant to start making a new small car, the Chevrolet Cruze, next year. It also jointly manufactures the Pontiac Vibe, a rebadged Toyota Matrix, at a factory in Fremont, Calif.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said GM will not import the cars from China and had agreed as part of a concession deal to build them in the U.S.
On Friday, Gettelfinger said at a news conference that 74 percent of GM’s 54,000 U.S. production and skilled-trade workers voted in favor of the deal. Reaching a deal with the union was one of the conditions imposed on GM by the Obama administration’s auto task force. Originally meant to help keep the automaker out of bankruptcy court, bankruptcy experts say having the labor agreement in place will help move the process through court more quickly.
The UAW says the cuts will save GM $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion a year.
GM has received $19.4 billion in federal loans and likely will get another $30 billion from the U.S. government as it makes its way through the bankruptcy court process.
In Berlin, negotiators were working out the final details of the Opel deal and an announcement could come within hours, said the person familiar with the negotiations, who did not want to be identified because talks had not yet finished.
Magna would provide short-term financing to become the preferred negotiating partner for Opel. The German government would put up a euro1.5 billion ($2.1 billion) bridge loan that would be repaid when the deal is closed.
Germany is looking for an agreement that will shield Opel — which employs 25,000 people in Germany, nearly half GM Europe’s work force — from a looming GM bankruptcy court filing in the U.S. and extensive restructuring.
The government wants to make it legally independent under a trustee so that any taxpayer assistance does not go to the U.S., then would provide bridge financing while Opel looks for a new, permanent owner.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) — The reformation of General Motors Corp. is in high gear.
The automaker said Friday that it plans to reopen a shuttered U.S. factory to build subcompact cars that will be the smallest vehicles GM has ever produced here. An element of the company’s shift from hulking SUVs to more gas-sipping microcars, the move comes as GM’s prepares to announce the fate of the poster child for gas guzzlers, the Hummer brand.
Meanwhile, as expected, the United Auto Workers ratified a package of concessions designed to reduce the automaker’s labor costs.
In Germany, the government and GM agreed on the framework of a deal for Magna International Inc. to take a majority stake in GM’s Opel unit, a person briefed on the negotiations said.
With an expected Chapter 11 filing looming, GM’s shares sunk below $1. The stock is expected to become worthless when GM reorganizes in bankruptcy court. GM’s filing for bankruptcy protection is expected Monday, when GM also plans to announce it will close 14 more factories, including four assembly plants.
A person briefed on GM’s plans said the small cars would be built at one of those plants. The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the plans, said GM has not determined which plant will get the new cars.
The retooled factory will be able to build 160,000 cars per year, GM said. It would create 1,200 jobs, the person said, offsetting some of the 21,000 that will be lost when GM closes the 14 factories by the end of next year.
The move to build the subcompact in the U.S. follows a firestorm caused by GM’s plans to produce up to 51,000 subcompacts per year in China and ship them to the U.S. starting in 2011, disclosed in documents submitted to Congress.
GM already builds the compact Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 at a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and it plans to retool that plant to start making a new small car, the Chevrolet Cruze, next year. It also jointly manufactures the Pontiac Vibe, a rebadged Toyota Matrix, at a factory in Fremont, Calif.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said GM will not import the cars from China and had agreed as part of a concession deal to build them in the U.S.
On Friday, Gettelfinger said at a news conference that 74 percent of GM’s 54,000 U.S. production and skilled-trade workers voted in favor of the deal. Reaching a deal with the union was one of the conditions imposed on GM by the Obama administration’s auto task force. Originally meant to help keep the automaker out of bankruptcy court, bankruptcy experts say having the labor agreement in place will help move the process through court more quickly.
The UAW says the cuts will save GM $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion a year.
GM has received $19.4 billion in federal loans and likely will get another $30 billion from the U.S. government as it makes its way through the bankruptcy court process.
In Berlin, negotiators were working out the final details of the Opel deal and an announcement could come within hours, said the person familiar with the negotiations, who did not want to be identified because talks had not yet finished.
Magna would provide short-term financing to become the preferred negotiating partner for Opel. The German government would put up a euro1.5 billion ($2.1 billion) bridge loan that would be repaid when the deal is closed.
Germany is looking for an agreement that will shield Opel — which employs 25,000 people in Germany, nearly half GM Europe’s work force — from a looming GM bankruptcy court filing in the U.S. and extensive restructuring.
The government wants to make it legally independent under a trustee so that any taxpayer assistance does not go to the U.S., then would provide bridge financing while Opel looks for a new, permanent owner.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Red-Light Cameras Increase Rear-End Crashes
Date: 3/13/2009
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Minutes after Neel Manglik illegally turned right on a red light in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, a video popped up on a computer at an office park outside Scottsdale, Ariz.
The $75 citation arrived in the mail weeks later, making Manglik one of the millions of Americans ticketed as part of a growing industry that is making handsome profits for companies that operate video cameras at busy intersections throughout the nation.
As more cities sign up and others invest their profits into more cameras, those companies expect increased revenue for years to come.
What’s less clear is whether the cameras improve safety. While studies show fewer T-bone crashes at lights with cameras and fewer drivers running red lights, the number of rear-end crashes increases.
Aaron Quinn, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association, said there are cheaper safety alternatives to red-light cameras, including lengthening yellow-light times.
“We say, the red-light camera wouldn’t have stopped anyone from getting hit,” Quinn said. “Once (a city) sees one city getting it miles away, and that first city makes a bunch of money, they want to do it, too. It’s like a virus.”
Albany, Ore., population 48,000, issued 1,119 traffic camera tickets for $77,200 in 2008. By comparison, in 2006 only 4,000 tickets were issued for all traffic infractions.
In St. Peters, Mo., a city of 55,000, red-light cameras resulted in 3,203 tickets issued from January 2007 to September 2008, and drew a total of $235,973. The city issued 14,836 traffic tickets in fiscal year 2006, but that jumped to 21,745 in 2008, the first full fiscal year with the cameras.
Clive Police Chief Robert Cox said there’s no doubt the cameras are a cheaper option than having an officer on the street.
“With the number of calls for service our city generates, we can’t devote that much time to red-light enforcement,” Cox said. “We were missing a lot of violations.”
But not all cities make money off of the tickets. Contracts between companies and cities can affect how much money the cities get.
In Clive, for instance, the red-light camera program generated $39,548.65 between July 2006 and March 2007, but all of that money went to the camera company because Clive didn’t ticket enough drivers in any single month to make money. Clive has since changed its contract and now gets a percentage of each ticket.
The largest red-light camera company, Redflex Traffic Systems of Scottsdale, operates red-light or speed cameras in 22 states, and added 79 cities last year. It signed a $32 million maintenance contract with Chicago last fall, and in just the last three weeks of last year, Redflex added five new cities.
Redflex saw net, after-tax profits of $10.6 million in fiscal year 2008, up from $7.3 million the year before.
That ticket in Clive shows why: More than half of the $75 fine went to Redflex.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Ashok Manglik, a physician who paid his wife’s ticket. “Why should it go to the camera company? At least 90 percent should go to the city.”
Some cities, such as Orlando and Atlanta, put all the money back into the program so they don’t profit from issuing tickets.
“It was a concern,” said Mike Rhodes, manager of the Orlando’s Code Enforcement Division. “Without casting aspersions on vendors, we didn’t want to be seen as having any incentive to issue these tickets.”
Plenty of people have been getting tickets in Orlando.
The city issued 785 “failure to obey a traffic signal” tickets — their equivalent of a red-light violation — between Sept. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007. But after the cameras were installed in September 2008, Orlando issued 8,250 tickets through its red-light camera program during that four-month period.
The Clive ticket demonstrates how the system works:
A Redflex camera spotted the violation by Manglik, then sent a video to an employee in Arizona who trained for a week to recognize violations. The employee checked municipal laws and approved the initial violation, and the video was then passed to another Redflex worker, who checked the vehicle against a motor-vehicle database to see if the car and tags match. A third employee approved the final evaluation and alerted an officer in Clive, who made the ticket official.
Clive police approve more than 90 percent of violations passed on by Redflex, excluding obvious mistakes such as ambulances and funeral processions. Redflex encourages cities to use signs and provides them to its customers.
“There’s very few rejected because it’s reviewed three or four times by Redflex,” Clive police Lt. Gary Walker said.
The camera companies, participating cities and nonprofit Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, a group funded by auto insurers, argue that the cameras save lives and ultimately cut costs. They estimate the cameras save about $14 billion annually, largely by reducing emergency-room trips, lowering insurance rates and cutting medical bills.
“I say if you sell fire extinguishers or smoke detectors or bulletproof vests that save police officers’ lives and you can make a buck off this, God bless you,” said Richard A. Retting, a former senior transportation engineer and lead researcher who left the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety in September. “How communities work out the details of those finances is up to them.”
A 2005 study by the Federal Highway Safety Administration found that after installation of red-light cameras, right-angle or T-bone crashes dropped 28 percent, while rear-end crashes climbed 8 percent.
The researchers found that with property damage included, each site saw a $40,000 per year drop in damage.
Retting said there’s no debate that the cameras cut down on red-light running but that their effect on crash severity is less certain.
In Clive, one of the cameras was responsible for giving Richard Tarlton his first ticket in more than 60 years of driving. But the 76-year-old said that as long as the cameras help police become more efficient, he’s all for it.
“If the policemen use their time and do police work, that’s great,” Tarlton said. “If it’s giving them an extra doughnut and coffee break, then I’m not for it.”
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Minutes after Neel Manglik illegally turned right on a red light in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, a video popped up on a computer at an office park outside Scottsdale, Ariz.
The $75 citation arrived in the mail weeks later, making Manglik one of the millions of Americans ticketed as part of a growing industry that is making handsome profits for companies that operate video cameras at busy intersections throughout the nation.
As more cities sign up and others invest their profits into more cameras, those companies expect increased revenue for years to come.
What’s less clear is whether the cameras improve safety. While studies show fewer T-bone crashes at lights with cameras and fewer drivers running red lights, the number of rear-end crashes increases.
Aaron Quinn, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association, said there are cheaper safety alternatives to red-light cameras, including lengthening yellow-light times.
“We say, the red-light camera wouldn’t have stopped anyone from getting hit,” Quinn said. “Once (a city) sees one city getting it miles away, and that first city makes a bunch of money, they want to do it, too. It’s like a virus.”
Albany, Ore., population 48,000, issued 1,119 traffic camera tickets for $77,200 in 2008. By comparison, in 2006 only 4,000 tickets were issued for all traffic infractions.
In St. Peters, Mo., a city of 55,000, red-light cameras resulted in 3,203 tickets issued from January 2007 to September 2008, and drew a total of $235,973. The city issued 14,836 traffic tickets in fiscal year 2006, but that jumped to 21,745 in 2008, the first full fiscal year with the cameras.
Clive Police Chief Robert Cox said there’s no doubt the cameras are a cheaper option than having an officer on the street.
“With the number of calls for service our city generates, we can’t devote that much time to red-light enforcement,” Cox said. “We were missing a lot of violations.”
But not all cities make money off of the tickets. Contracts between companies and cities can affect how much money the cities get.
In Clive, for instance, the red-light camera program generated $39,548.65 between July 2006 and March 2007, but all of that money went to the camera company because Clive didn’t ticket enough drivers in any single month to make money. Clive has since changed its contract and now gets a percentage of each ticket.
The largest red-light camera company, Redflex Traffic Systems of Scottsdale, operates red-light or speed cameras in 22 states, and added 79 cities last year. It signed a $32 million maintenance contract with Chicago last fall, and in just the last three weeks of last year, Redflex added five new cities.
Redflex saw net, after-tax profits of $10.6 million in fiscal year 2008, up from $7.3 million the year before.
That ticket in Clive shows why: More than half of the $75 fine went to Redflex.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Ashok Manglik, a physician who paid his wife’s ticket. “Why should it go to the camera company? At least 90 percent should go to the city.”
Some cities, such as Orlando and Atlanta, put all the money back into the program so they don’t profit from issuing tickets.
“It was a concern,” said Mike Rhodes, manager of the Orlando’s Code Enforcement Division. “Without casting aspersions on vendors, we didn’t want to be seen as having any incentive to issue these tickets.”
Plenty of people have been getting tickets in Orlando.
The city issued 785 “failure to obey a traffic signal” tickets — their equivalent of a red-light violation — between Sept. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007. But after the cameras were installed in September 2008, Orlando issued 8,250 tickets through its red-light camera program during that four-month period.
The Clive ticket demonstrates how the system works:
A Redflex camera spotted the violation by Manglik, then sent a video to an employee in Arizona who trained for a week to recognize violations. The employee checked municipal laws and approved the initial violation, and the video was then passed to another Redflex worker, who checked the vehicle against a motor-vehicle database to see if the car and tags match. A third employee approved the final evaluation and alerted an officer in Clive, who made the ticket official.
Clive police approve more than 90 percent of violations passed on by Redflex, excluding obvious mistakes such as ambulances and funeral processions. Redflex encourages cities to use signs and provides them to its customers.
“There’s very few rejected because it’s reviewed three or four times by Redflex,” Clive police Lt. Gary Walker said.
The camera companies, participating cities and nonprofit Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, a group funded by auto insurers, argue that the cameras save lives and ultimately cut costs. They estimate the cameras save about $14 billion annually, largely by reducing emergency-room trips, lowering insurance rates and cutting medical bills.
“I say if you sell fire extinguishers or smoke detectors or bulletproof vests that save police officers’ lives and you can make a buck off this, God bless you,” said Richard A. Retting, a former senior transportation engineer and lead researcher who left the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety in September. “How communities work out the details of those finances is up to them.”
A 2005 study by the Federal Highway Safety Administration found that after installation of red-light cameras, right-angle or T-bone crashes dropped 28 percent, while rear-end crashes climbed 8 percent.
The researchers found that with property damage included, each site saw a $40,000 per year drop in damage.
Retting said there’s no debate that the cameras cut down on red-light running but that their effect on crash severity is less certain.
In Clive, one of the cameras was responsible for giving Richard Tarlton his first ticket in more than 60 years of driving. But the 76-year-old said that as long as the cameras help police become more efficient, he’s all for it.
“If the policemen use their time and do police work, that’s great,” Tarlton said. “If it’s giving them an extra doughnut and coffee break, then I’m not for it.”
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Survey: Auto deaths drop in 40 states in 2008
Date: 2/4/2009
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Automobile fatalities declined in 40 states in 2008, according to a survey of state highway safety agencies, an early sign that traffic deaths could dip to their lowest levels in four decades.
The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety departments, said Wednesday that vehicle deaths dropped in 40 states and the District of Columbia out of 44 states they surveyed. The average decline was 10.7 percent, the safety group said.
“Clearly, the high gas prices in the first part of the year and the difficult economy in the second half caused people to drive less, thus reducing fatalities. However, there’s more occurring here than just economic factors,” said Barbara Harsha, the organization’s executive director.
Harsha said the declines could also be attributed to seat belt use reaching a record high of 83 percent in 2008 and an increased enforcement of traffic laws. Many states also reported drivers reducing their speed to boost their fuel efficiency, she said.
Among large states, Florida’s highway fatalities dropped 6.8 percent, Illinois’ fell by 16 percent, Ohio’s declined by 4 percent and Michigan’s were down by 7.7 percent. Georgia saw decreases of 12 percent and New Jersey’s fatalities dropped 18 percent, according to the survey.
Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia all saw declines of 20 percent or more.
Fatalities increased in Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware and New Hampshire. Several large states, including California, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania, did not participate in the survey.
The safety association cautioned that the surveys, which were conducted during the week of January 26, were estimates and the final figures could vary.
But the results were consistent with a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December that found auto fatalities dropped 10 percent in 2008 from the months of January though October.
The government said in December there were 31,110 auto fatalities during the first 10 months of 2008, a 9.8 percent decline over the same period in 2007, when there were 34,502 fatalities.
If the trend held up during the year’s last two months, highway deaths could reach their lowest level in the 42 years since NHTSA began keeping record. Final numbers for 2008 are expected later this year.
The Federal Highway Administration, which counts the numbers of cars on the road, has reported steep declines in the number of miles Americans are driving each month beginning in late 2007 and continuing through the first three quarters of 2008.
___
On the Net:
Governors Highway Safety Association: http://www.ghsa.org/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Automobile fatalities declined in 40 states in 2008, according to a survey of state highway safety agencies, an early sign that traffic deaths could dip to their lowest levels in four decades.
The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety departments, said Wednesday that vehicle deaths dropped in 40 states and the District of Columbia out of 44 states they surveyed. The average decline was 10.7 percent, the safety group said.
“Clearly, the high gas prices in the first part of the year and the difficult economy in the second half caused people to drive less, thus reducing fatalities. However, there’s more occurring here than just economic factors,” said Barbara Harsha, the organization’s executive director.
Harsha said the declines could also be attributed to seat belt use reaching a record high of 83 percent in 2008 and an increased enforcement of traffic laws. Many states also reported drivers reducing their speed to boost their fuel efficiency, she said.
Among large states, Florida’s highway fatalities dropped 6.8 percent, Illinois’ fell by 16 percent, Ohio’s declined by 4 percent and Michigan’s were down by 7.7 percent. Georgia saw decreases of 12 percent and New Jersey’s fatalities dropped 18 percent, according to the survey.
Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia all saw declines of 20 percent or more.
Fatalities increased in Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware and New Hampshire. Several large states, including California, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania, did not participate in the survey.
The safety association cautioned that the surveys, which were conducted during the week of January 26, were estimates and the final figures could vary.
But the results were consistent with a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December that found auto fatalities dropped 10 percent in 2008 from the months of January though October.
The government said in December there were 31,110 auto fatalities during the first 10 months of 2008, a 9.8 percent decline over the same period in 2007, when there were 34,502 fatalities.
If the trend held up during the year’s last two months, highway deaths could reach their lowest level in the 42 years since NHTSA began keeping record. Final numbers for 2008 are expected later this year.
The Federal Highway Administration, which counts the numbers of cars on the road, has reported steep declines in the number of miles Americans are driving each month beginning in late 2007 and continuing through the first three quarters of 2008.
___
On the Net:
Governors Highway Safety Association: http://www.ghsa.org/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
GM trucks, SUVs prone to losing power steering
Date: 1/15/2009
By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Several popular models of General Motors trucks and SUVs are liable to lose their power steering as drivers make slow turns in parking lots, according to testimony and company documents.
The problem has forced the nation’s biggest automaker to settle lawsuits and led one state police force to briefly label the condition a hazard, but GM considers it a “normal characteristic” of the vehicles.
Some drivers complain they must struggle to parallel park and navigate into tight spots. Others say they end up occupying two parking spaces because of difficulty turning the wheel. They say they were never told about the condition before buying the vehicles.
General Motors Corp. has told its technicians the problem occurs when customers apply the brakes and turn the wheel at the same time, which easily can happen as drivers try to park.
“It’s a natural condition with … medium-duty to heavy-duty vehicles, it’s been a condition since Day One that they were ever built,” GM employee Ronald Klemme said in a deposition. “I’m very knowledgeable of (the) condition. I don’t acknowledge, I guess, that there’s a problem there.”
In November, however, a Wisconsin jury awarded $120,000 to a plumber who was often unable to steer his GMC pickup truck and was denied a refund or new vehicle after he complained. GM must pay an additional $259,000 in attorney’s fees by Tuesday.
Vince Megna, a Waukesha, Wis., lawyer who represented the driver, said the case exposed “unbelievable mismanagement” by GM at a time when it is receiving $13.4 billion in government loans and has said it might need more. Besides manufacturing vehicles with the condition for years, he accused the Detroit automaker of acting unethically by not disclosing it to customers.
“You can’t tell people they’re getting the greatest car manufactured on the face of the earth and then three months later admit it doesn’t steer right,” said Megna, who is looking into the possibility of a class-action lawsuit.
GM spokeswoman Geri Lama said the automaker would continue to treat the condition as normal and try to resolve customer complaints on a case-by-case basis.
An internal company bulletin shows that the Chevrolet Avalanche, Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado Classic; GMC Sierra Classic and Yukon; Cadillac Escalade; and Hummer H2 are at risk for the steering lock-ups. The problems affect various model years dating back to 1999.
GM’s bulletin says the condition, which stems from a lack of pressure in the power steering system, can be aggravated by worn tires, low tire pressure and tires larger than stock size. For nondiesel engines, GM has told dealers that adding a pressure valve may help fix the problem. Vehicles that run on diesel engines cannot be fixed.
It’s impossible to know how many vehicles with the condition are on the road, but Megna, who specializes in representing drivers with defective vehicles, said owners of the affected models have the problem to varying degrees, and most are either putting up with it or trading in their vehicles.
GM acknowledges that customers routinely complain about the issue, and one chat forum on the automotive Web site Edmunds.com is dedicated to complaints about it. Attempts to reach other customers for comment were unsuccessful, and Megna said he wasn’t aware of any other lawsuits over the issue.
GM officials have testified the condition exists in other companies’ vehicles, but GM never offered details in court, and Lama said she had no details on the other vehicles either.
The loss of power steering happens most often at low speeds, and GM denies the condition raises safety concerns. Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which can order auto recalls, said the agency has never investigated the condition. At first blush, Tyson said it may be more of a customer satisfaction issue.
“We don’t see anything at this point that would elevate it to the concern of the NHTSA,” he said.
The Utah Highway Patrol warned its safety inspectors in 2007 to look for the condition and reject vehicles that have it. Sgt. Joe Vasquez, the patrol’s safety inspection program manager, said the patrol issued the warning after investigating a 2006 GMC Sierra Dura Max Diesel with the problem.
“We felt it was a safety hazard,” said Sgt. Joe Vasquez, the patrol’s safety inspection program manager.
The patrol revised its guidance last year after learning from the company the issue was normal.
“If it meets manufacturer specifications, there’s nothing we can do. They are the ones certifying the vehicles,” he said. “We’re not engineers.”
Todd Van Natta, the 46-year-old plumber from Minocqua, Wis., who won at a trial in November, has fought GM over the problem since 2005, when he purchased a new Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
He often found himself having trouble maneuvering in grocery store parking lots or when he drove to plumbing jobs at people’s homes. His wife didn’t have the strength to steer the truck. After four failed repair attempts, Chevrolet advised him the problem was normal and could not be fixed.
Van Natta hired Megna to pursue a refund or a new truck. An arbitrator ruled in his favor.
“This arbitrator cannot find any basis upon which a defect, simply because it exists and is apparently unable to be fixed, transforms from a defect to an apparently normal ‘characteristic of the vehicle,'” wrote Henry E. Koltz. “This defect significantly impacts the vehicle’s use, value, and safety.”
In a settlement, GM paid $71,500 in damages and attorneys fees and Van Natta agreed to give up the truck he bought for $49,500.
Van Natta said he decided to purchase a 2007 GMC Sierra Classic for $45,000 after he was assured by a salesman that the steering problem had been fixed. He said the vehicle performed well for the first 12,000 miles but then started having the same problems.
He returned to the dealer for repair four times, but company representatives told him it was a normal condition. He filed a lawsuit in 2007.
This time, GM declined to settle the case, and during a four-day trial its lawyers painted Van Natta as an impossible-to-please customer who was trying to make a buck.
It took jurors one hour to rule the steering problem was a “nonconformity” and order the company to pay damages.
Despite winning his lawsuit, Van Natta said he remains angry. He said he spent a lot of time away from home and his job pursuing the case in a courtroom several hours away.
“What made me bitter was listening to these people make me out to be the bad guy when they have a product they know is bad from the beginning. What did I do? All I did was purchase the truck,” he said. “I think it’s just absolutely ridiculous the amount of money they wasted.”
Yet even after his troubles, Van Natta bought another GM vehicle. He said he now drives a 2008 GMC Sierra, but it’s a half-ton version that does not have the steering issue.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.fishtail.tv
By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Several popular models of General Motors trucks and SUVs are liable to lose their power steering as drivers make slow turns in parking lots, according to testimony and company documents.
The problem has forced the nation’s biggest automaker to settle lawsuits and led one state police force to briefly label the condition a hazard, but GM considers it a “normal characteristic” of the vehicles.
Some drivers complain they must struggle to parallel park and navigate into tight spots. Others say they end up occupying two parking spaces because of difficulty turning the wheel. They say they were never told about the condition before buying the vehicles.
General Motors Corp. has told its technicians the problem occurs when customers apply the brakes and turn the wheel at the same time, which easily can happen as drivers try to park.
“It’s a natural condition with … medium-duty to heavy-duty vehicles, it’s been a condition since Day One that they were ever built,” GM employee Ronald Klemme said in a deposition. “I’m very knowledgeable of (the) condition. I don’t acknowledge, I guess, that there’s a problem there.”
In November, however, a Wisconsin jury awarded $120,000 to a plumber who was often unable to steer his GMC pickup truck and was denied a refund or new vehicle after he complained. GM must pay an additional $259,000 in attorney’s fees by Tuesday.
Vince Megna, a Waukesha, Wis., lawyer who represented the driver, said the case exposed “unbelievable mismanagement” by GM at a time when it is receiving $13.4 billion in government loans and has said it might need more. Besides manufacturing vehicles with the condition for years, he accused the Detroit automaker of acting unethically by not disclosing it to customers.
“You can’t tell people they’re getting the greatest car manufactured on the face of the earth and then three months later admit it doesn’t steer right,” said Megna, who is looking into the possibility of a class-action lawsuit.
GM spokeswoman Geri Lama said the automaker would continue to treat the condition as normal and try to resolve customer complaints on a case-by-case basis.
An internal company bulletin shows that the Chevrolet Avalanche, Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado Classic; GMC Sierra Classic and Yukon; Cadillac Escalade; and Hummer H2 are at risk for the steering lock-ups. The problems affect various model years dating back to 1999.
GM’s bulletin says the condition, which stems from a lack of pressure in the power steering system, can be aggravated by worn tires, low tire pressure and tires larger than stock size. For nondiesel engines, GM has told dealers that adding a pressure valve may help fix the problem. Vehicles that run on diesel engines cannot be fixed.
It’s impossible to know how many vehicles with the condition are on the road, but Megna, who specializes in representing drivers with defective vehicles, said owners of the affected models have the problem to varying degrees, and most are either putting up with it or trading in their vehicles.
GM acknowledges that customers routinely complain about the issue, and one chat forum on the automotive Web site Edmunds.com is dedicated to complaints about it. Attempts to reach other customers for comment were unsuccessful, and Megna said he wasn’t aware of any other lawsuits over the issue.
GM officials have testified the condition exists in other companies’ vehicles, but GM never offered details in court, and Lama said she had no details on the other vehicles either.
The loss of power steering happens most often at low speeds, and GM denies the condition raises safety concerns. Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which can order auto recalls, said the agency has never investigated the condition. At first blush, Tyson said it may be more of a customer satisfaction issue.
“We don’t see anything at this point that would elevate it to the concern of the NHTSA,” he said.
The Utah Highway Patrol warned its safety inspectors in 2007 to look for the condition and reject vehicles that have it. Sgt. Joe Vasquez, the patrol’s safety inspection program manager, said the patrol issued the warning after investigating a 2006 GMC Sierra Dura Max Diesel with the problem.
“We felt it was a safety hazard,” said Sgt. Joe Vasquez, the patrol’s safety inspection program manager.
The patrol revised its guidance last year after learning from the company the issue was normal.
“If it meets manufacturer specifications, there’s nothing we can do. They are the ones certifying the vehicles,” he said. “We’re not engineers.”
Todd Van Natta, the 46-year-old plumber from Minocqua, Wis., who won at a trial in November, has fought GM over the problem since 2005, when he purchased a new Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
He often found himself having trouble maneuvering in grocery store parking lots or when he drove to plumbing jobs at people’s homes. His wife didn’t have the strength to steer the truck. After four failed repair attempts, Chevrolet advised him the problem was normal and could not be fixed.
Van Natta hired Megna to pursue a refund or a new truck. An arbitrator ruled in his favor.
“This arbitrator cannot find any basis upon which a defect, simply because it exists and is apparently unable to be fixed, transforms from a defect to an apparently normal ‘characteristic of the vehicle,'” wrote Henry E. Koltz. “This defect significantly impacts the vehicle’s use, value, and safety.”
In a settlement, GM paid $71,500 in damages and attorneys fees and Van Natta agreed to give up the truck he bought for $49,500.
Van Natta said he decided to purchase a 2007 GMC Sierra Classic for $45,000 after he was assured by a salesman that the steering problem had been fixed. He said the vehicle performed well for the first 12,000 miles but then started having the same problems.
He returned to the dealer for repair four times, but company representatives told him it was a normal condition. He filed a lawsuit in 2007.
This time, GM declined to settle the case, and during a four-day trial its lawyers painted Van Natta as an impossible-to-please customer who was trying to make a buck.
It took jurors one hour to rule the steering problem was a “nonconformity” and order the company to pay damages.
Despite winning his lawsuit, Van Natta said he remains angry. He said he spent a lot of time away from home and his job pursuing the case in a courtroom several hours away.
“What made me bitter was listening to these people make me out to be the bad guy when they have a product they know is bad from the beginning. What did I do? All I did was purchase the truck,” he said. “I think it’s just absolutely ridiculous the amount of money they wasted.”
Yet even after his troubles, Van Natta bought another GM vehicle. He said he now drives a 2008 GMC Sierra, but it’s a half-ton version that does not have the steering issue.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.fishtail.tv
Government investigating Ford tire valves
Date: 10/21/2008 4:41 PM
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The government is investigating more than 1 million Ford Motor Co. vehicles after receiving reports of tires leaking from faulty valve stems made by a Chinese company.
Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said Tuesday the investigation involves vehicles with the tire valves, including 12 vehicles from the 2007 model year cited by the government. Ford has received some complaints but no reports of crashes or injuries.
The valves are used on most new Ford vehicles except for certain types of F-Series Super Duty Trucks and Econoline vans, Sherwood said.
“We’ve seen reports of cracking and leaking. We have not identified a risk to motor vehicle safety,” Sherwood said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received 37 complaints of faulty valve stems but no crashes or injuries have been reported. In 23 of the complaints, the vehicle had more than one valve that was “severely cracked or cracked and leaking” and needed replacement.
Eleven complaints said the valves led to lost tire inflation and required the tire to be replaced.
The vehicles with the valve stems include the Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge, Fusion, Expedition, Explorer, Focus and Escape, and the Mercury Grand Marquis, MKX, MKZ, and Milan. The valves are made by Topseal Automotive, a subsidiary of Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp.
NHTSA said it has opened a preliminary evaluation to “assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences” of the alleged defect in the Ford tires. Defect investigations can lead to vehicle recalls.
The highway safety agency opened a separate investigation in May into 23 million valve stems manufactured by Shanghai Baolong in 2006. NHTSA said more than 4,700 complaints have been filed because of the valve stems, including allegations of a fatal rollover crash involving a 1998 Ford Explorer in November 2007.
___
On the Net:
Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com/
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The government is investigating more than 1 million Ford Motor Co. vehicles after receiving reports of tires leaking from faulty valve stems made by a Chinese company.
Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said Tuesday the investigation involves vehicles with the tire valves, including 12 vehicles from the 2007 model year cited by the government. Ford has received some complaints but no reports of crashes or injuries.
The valves are used on most new Ford vehicles except for certain types of F-Series Super Duty Trucks and Econoline vans, Sherwood said.
“We’ve seen reports of cracking and leaking. We have not identified a risk to motor vehicle safety,” Sherwood said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received 37 complaints of faulty valve stems but no crashes or injuries have been reported. In 23 of the complaints, the vehicle had more than one valve that was “severely cracked or cracked and leaking” and needed replacement.
Eleven complaints said the valves led to lost tire inflation and required the tire to be replaced.
The vehicles with the valve stems include the Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge, Fusion, Expedition, Explorer, Focus and Escape, and the Mercury Grand Marquis, MKX, MKZ, and Milan. The valves are made by Topseal Automotive, a subsidiary of Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp.
NHTSA said it has opened a preliminary evaluation to “assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences” of the alleged defect in the Ford tires. Defect investigations can lead to vehicle recalls.
The highway safety agency opened a separate investigation in May into 23 million valve stems manufactured by Shanghai Baolong in 2006. NHTSA said more than 4,700 complaints have been filed because of the valve stems, including allegations of a fatal rollover crash involving a 1998 Ford Explorer in November 2007.
___
On the Net:
Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com/
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Bald Tires Flat Dangerous – US Government Info
Nine percent driving on bald tires – gas stations not helping
Too many American motorists face injury or death by driving around on unsafe, bald tires and the nation’s gas stations are not helping the situation, according to the Department of Transportation.
In response to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports showing that 9 percent of passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driven with at least one bald tire and that many gas stations fail to provide air pumps or accurate tire pressure gauges, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta urged motorists to closely monitor their tires.
“It is extremely important to motorists’ safety that they ensure their tires have ample tread and are properly inflated,” Secretary Mineta said. “Motorists who drive on tires that are bald or substantially under-inflated risk injuries or fatalities.”
To better protect motorists, the NHTSA is launching a new tire safety campaign called: “Tire Safety: Everything Rides on It.” Through ads, brochures and radio ads, the campaign will stress the importance of proper tire inflation and vehicle load limits. Motorists will also be advised to check their tires monthly, as well as prior to a long trip, to be sure they have adequate tread.
The NHTSA study found that 14 percent of gas stations are either not equipped with air pumps or have malfunctioning pumps. Also, less than half of all gas stations that offer air pumps provide tire pressure gauges. NHTSA points out, however, that motorists can purchase accurate tire pressure gauges for a nominal price.
In July 2001, NHTSA proposed new federal regulations that would require the installation of tire pressure monitoring and warning systems in new passenger cars and light trucks. Improper inflation is the main cause of premature tread loss and sudden tire failure, according to tire industry experts.
Tire tread provides the gripping action and traction preventing a vehicle from slipping and sliding. In general, tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16th of an inch. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let a motorist know when they should be replaced. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear even with the outside of the tread, it’s time for new tires.
Tread condition can also be checked with a Lincoln penny. Just place the penny upside down within the tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, the tire needs to be replaced.
Key findings of the NHTSA study on tire tread:
* Nine percent of passenger cars are being driven on at least one “bald” tire. (For purposes of this survey, a tire was considered bald if it had 1/16th of an inch or less of tread depth.)
* Bald tires are between 1.5 and 1.8 times more likely to be under-inflated than are tires with deeper tread, depending on tire location.
Key findings of the NHTSA study on gas station air pumps:
* Over 90 percent of U.S. gas stations are equipped with air pumps. However, nearly 10 percent of these pumps are out-of-order.
* Fewer than half of the pump-equipped gas stations also provide a tire pressure gauge for customer use.
* Nearly 20 percent of the stations providing customers with tire pressure gauges on their air pumps use gauges that over-report the pressure present in a tire by at least 4 psi (pounds per square inch) or more. (This means that motorists who use such gauges in the belief that they are inflating their tires to the recommended pressure would, in fact, be under-inflating them by 4 psi or more.)
According to NHTSA, 27 percent of passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driven with one or more substantially under-inflated tires.
Tire Safety Tips from NHTSA:
A radial tire can lose much of its air pressure and still appear to be fully inflated. Operating a vehicle with substantially under-inflated tires can result in a tire failure, such as instances of tire separation and blowouts, with the potential for a loss of control of the vehicle. Under-inflated tires also shorten tire life and increase fuel consumption.
Tires should be inflated according to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. These can be found in the owner’s manual or on a placard, which is often located in the glove compartment or on the driver’s doorjamb. Motorists should not rely on visual tire inspections to determine whether a tire is properly inflated but should use a tire pressure gauge to do so.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis conducted the two new studies. Statistics from the studies are contained in research notes on the agency’s Website at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/WhatsNew.html (Most documents require free Adobe Acrobat – .pdf file reader.).
Too many American motorists face injury or death by driving around on unsafe, bald tires and the nation’s gas stations are not helping the situation, according to the Department of Transportation.
In response to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports showing that 9 percent of passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driven with at least one bald tire and that many gas stations fail to provide air pumps or accurate tire pressure gauges, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta urged motorists to closely monitor their tires.
“It is extremely important to motorists’ safety that they ensure their tires have ample tread and are properly inflated,” Secretary Mineta said. “Motorists who drive on tires that are bald or substantially under-inflated risk injuries or fatalities.”
To better protect motorists, the NHTSA is launching a new tire safety campaign called: “Tire Safety: Everything Rides on It.” Through ads, brochures and radio ads, the campaign will stress the importance of proper tire inflation and vehicle load limits. Motorists will also be advised to check their tires monthly, as well as prior to a long trip, to be sure they have adequate tread.
The NHTSA study found that 14 percent of gas stations are either not equipped with air pumps or have malfunctioning pumps. Also, less than half of all gas stations that offer air pumps provide tire pressure gauges. NHTSA points out, however, that motorists can purchase accurate tire pressure gauges for a nominal price.
In July 2001, NHTSA proposed new federal regulations that would require the installation of tire pressure monitoring and warning systems in new passenger cars and light trucks. Improper inflation is the main cause of premature tread loss and sudden tire failure, according to tire industry experts.
Tire tread provides the gripping action and traction preventing a vehicle from slipping and sliding. In general, tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16th of an inch. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let a motorist know when they should be replaced. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear even with the outside of the tread, it’s time for new tires.
Tread condition can also be checked with a Lincoln penny. Just place the penny upside down within the tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, the tire needs to be replaced.
Key findings of the NHTSA study on tire tread:
* Nine percent of passenger cars are being driven on at least one “bald” tire. (For purposes of this survey, a tire was considered bald if it had 1/16th of an inch or less of tread depth.)
* Bald tires are between 1.5 and 1.8 times more likely to be under-inflated than are tires with deeper tread, depending on tire location.
Key findings of the NHTSA study on gas station air pumps:
* Over 90 percent of U.S. gas stations are equipped with air pumps. However, nearly 10 percent of these pumps are out-of-order.
* Fewer than half of the pump-equipped gas stations also provide a tire pressure gauge for customer use.
* Nearly 20 percent of the stations providing customers with tire pressure gauges on their air pumps use gauges that over-report the pressure present in a tire by at least 4 psi (pounds per square inch) or more. (This means that motorists who use such gauges in the belief that they are inflating their tires to the recommended pressure would, in fact, be under-inflating them by 4 psi or more.)
According to NHTSA, 27 percent of passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driven with one or more substantially under-inflated tires.
Tire Safety Tips from NHTSA:
A radial tire can lose much of its air pressure and still appear to be fully inflated. Operating a vehicle with substantially under-inflated tires can result in a tire failure, such as instances of tire separation and blowouts, with the potential for a loss of control of the vehicle. Under-inflated tires also shorten tire life and increase fuel consumption.
Tires should be inflated according to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. These can be found in the owner’s manual or on a placard, which is often located in the glove compartment or on the driver’s doorjamb. Motorists should not rely on visual tire inspections to determine whether a tire is properly inflated but should use a tire pressure gauge to do so.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis conducted the two new studies. Statistics from the studies are contained in research notes on the agency’s Website at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/WhatsNew.html (Most documents require free Adobe Acrobat – .pdf file reader.).
New database has info on auto deaths, injuries
Date: 9/10/2008 6:59 PM
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The government unveiled a new public database Wednesday that will enable consumers to look up the number of alleged deaths, injuries and cases of property damage involving passenger vehicles.
Consumer groups have sought the information, which was part of legislation passed by Congress after the massive recall of Firestone tires in 2000. The law required manufacturers to provide data on numerous safety complaints and was devised to help the government quickly detect potential problems.
The so-called “early warning” data was released because of a ruling by a federal appeals court in July that barred the government from withholding key data reported by manufacturers. Some data was allowed to remain confidential, including warranty claims and field reports submitted by the manufacturer.
The data, which goes back to 2003, is reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by automakers, tire makers, motorcycle companies and child seat manufacturers on a quarterly basis. The public database now provides information from 21 automakers.
During the first three months of 2008, the most recent data available, General Motors Corp. reported receiving complaints of 52 deaths and 610 injuries, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Ford Motor Co. said it had received reports of 40 deaths and 340 injuries and Chrysler LLC reported receiving complaints of 23 deaths and 149 injuries during the span.
In the same period, Toyota Motor Corp. advised NHTSA of 8 deaths and 106 injuries, Nissan Motor Corp. said it had allegations of 7 deaths and 34 injuries and Honda Motor Co. reported 3 deaths and 22 injuries.
Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, cautioned that the data often includes unsubstantiated claims and could not be used to confirm a safety problem.
He said a company with a large global presence reports data from foreign countries in addition to the United States and a manufacturer’s size and vehicle sales would play a large role in the data set.
Consumer groups said it would be useful information to car buyers. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group that sued to have the data made available, called it a “smashing success for consumers.”
She recommended that owners and car shoppers use the database to learn more about specific vehicles.
NHTSA said they had been using the data since December 2003 as a supplement to the estimated 40,000 consumer complaints they receive each year. Through the end of August, NHTSA said it had used the early warning data in 84 defect investigations, which can sometimes lead to vehicle recalls.
About 100 manufacturers, mostly tire companies, have asked NHTSA to keep their data private because they contend it includes confidential business information.
Dan Zielinski, a spokesman for the Rubber Manufacturers Association, which represents tire makers, said the data included “accusations and people who review this database should keep that in mind.”
___
On the Net:
The early warning reports can be found at: http://www.safercar.gov
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The government unveiled a new public database Wednesday that will enable consumers to look up the number of alleged deaths, injuries and cases of property damage involving passenger vehicles.
Consumer groups have sought the information, which was part of legislation passed by Congress after the massive recall of Firestone tires in 2000. The law required manufacturers to provide data on numerous safety complaints and was devised to help the government quickly detect potential problems.
The so-called “early warning” data was released because of a ruling by a federal appeals court in July that barred the government from withholding key data reported by manufacturers. Some data was allowed to remain confidential, including warranty claims and field reports submitted by the manufacturer.
The data, which goes back to 2003, is reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by automakers, tire makers, motorcycle companies and child seat manufacturers on a quarterly basis. The public database now provides information from 21 automakers.
During the first three months of 2008, the most recent data available, General Motors Corp. reported receiving complaints of 52 deaths and 610 injuries, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Ford Motor Co. said it had received reports of 40 deaths and 340 injuries and Chrysler LLC reported receiving complaints of 23 deaths and 149 injuries during the span.
In the same period, Toyota Motor Corp. advised NHTSA of 8 deaths and 106 injuries, Nissan Motor Corp. said it had allegations of 7 deaths and 34 injuries and Honda Motor Co. reported 3 deaths and 22 injuries.
Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, cautioned that the data often includes unsubstantiated claims and could not be used to confirm a safety problem.
He said a company with a large global presence reports data from foreign countries in addition to the United States and a manufacturer’s size and vehicle sales would play a large role in the data set.
Consumer groups said it would be useful information to car buyers. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group that sued to have the data made available, called it a “smashing success for consumers.”
She recommended that owners and car shoppers use the database to learn more about specific vehicles.
NHTSA said they had been using the data since December 2003 as a supplement to the estimated 40,000 consumer complaints they receive each year. Through the end of August, NHTSA said it had used the early warning data in 84 defect investigations, which can sometimes lead to vehicle recalls.
About 100 manufacturers, mostly tire companies, have asked NHTSA to keep their data private because they contend it includes confidential business information.
Dan Zielinski, a spokesman for the Rubber Manufacturers Association, which represents tire makers, said the data included “accusations and people who review this database should keep that in mind.”
___
On the Net:
The early warning reports can be found at: http://www.safercar.gov
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Salt shortage, high prices may mean slippery roads
Date: 9/22/2008 3:38 PM
By CHARLES WILSON
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A shortage of road salt and skyrocketing salt prices could mean slippery roads this winter in communities across the nation as officials struggle to keep pavement clear of snow and ice without breaking their budgets.
Heavy snow last year heightened demand for salt, and now many towns can’t find enough of it. The shortage could force many cities to salt fewer roads, increasing the risk of accidents. Other communities are abandoning road salt for less expensive but also less effective sand or sand-salt blends.
“The driving public may be the ones who suffer on this,” said Robert Young, highway superintendent for northwestern Indiana’s LaPorte County, which has 20,000 tons of salt on hand — only half as much as needed to last a normal winter. Because of the shortage, three companies refused to bid on the county’s request for more.
Prices have also tripled from a year ago. The salt industry says the increased demand and higher fuel costs are to blame. But some officials insist salt prices have spiked more dramatically than fuel.
“That explanation doesn’t wash,” said Tom Barwin, city manager in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill., one of several officials who have asked the Illinois attorney general to investigate the price increases. The office said it doesn’t have jurisdiction.
The United States used a near-record 20.3 million tons of road salt last year, largely because areas from the Northeast to the Midwest had heavier-than-average snowfall. Parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, for instance, got four to six times their typical amounts. Vermont, New Hampshire and other areas set records.
The harsh winter left salt storage barns virtually empty. Communities that needed additional salt late in the season had trouble finding it because supplier stockpiles had also been depleted, according to Dick Hanneman, president of the Salt Institute, a trade group.
This year, many states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, requested bids early, Hanneman said, and salt orders grew significantly. Five states increased their orders by a total of 2 million tons over last year.
Suppliers quickly realized that at that pace, they would not have enough salt to bid on other contracts, he said.
The rising cost of gasoline and diesel compounded the situation, Hanneman said. Road salt — which, unlike table salt, is sold in large crystals — is transported by barge and truck from mines in Kansas, Louisiana and Texas. Some is shipped from as far away as Chile in South America.
State agencies that maintain interstate highways are supplied first, leaving smaller communities the hardest hit by the shortage, Hanneman said.
In Chesterton, Ind., about 135 miles northwest of Indianapolis, salt suppliers allotted the town only the 800 tons it uses in an average year — even though last year’s snowfall was double the normal amount.
“Between safety and politics, we’re going to have to salt the roads,” Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg said.
Last year, Chesterton paid Chicago-based Morton Salt $41.23 a ton for road salt. This year’s quote came in at $103.63.
Morton spokesman Joe Wojtonik said the company increased production at its mines after orders rose between 8 and 28 percent.
“We’re producing at the highest practical safe level we can,” he said.
Schnadenberg plans to conserve salt when winter begins. “I think all the communities are going to replan on how much they salt and where,” he said.
Other communities expect to use more sand or to adopt a cheaper sand-salt mixture. Neshannock Township in New Castle, Pa., plans to use a special pretreated salt mixture that isn’t as expensive as regular road salt.
Livingston County, Mich., is turning to a slurry made from sugar beet pulp mixed with salt brine that could trim 25 percent from the county’s $4 million snow-and-ice removal budget.
Still, this year’s salt shortage could pose risks for motorists, who may need to learn to drive on slippery roads or stay home.
Said Neshannock Township Supervisor John DiCola Jr.: “Some of the services we’ve been receiving … maybe we just aren’t going to be able to do that anymore.”
___
Associated Press Writer Don Babwin in Chicago contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By CHARLES WILSON
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A shortage of road salt and skyrocketing salt prices could mean slippery roads this winter in communities across the nation as officials struggle to keep pavement clear of snow and ice without breaking their budgets.
Heavy snow last year heightened demand for salt, and now many towns can’t find enough of it. The shortage could force many cities to salt fewer roads, increasing the risk of accidents. Other communities are abandoning road salt for less expensive but also less effective sand or sand-salt blends.
“The driving public may be the ones who suffer on this,” said Robert Young, highway superintendent for northwestern Indiana’s LaPorte County, which has 20,000 tons of salt on hand — only half as much as needed to last a normal winter. Because of the shortage, three companies refused to bid on the county’s request for more.
Prices have also tripled from a year ago. The salt industry says the increased demand and higher fuel costs are to blame. But some officials insist salt prices have spiked more dramatically than fuel.
“That explanation doesn’t wash,” said Tom Barwin, city manager in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill., one of several officials who have asked the Illinois attorney general to investigate the price increases. The office said it doesn’t have jurisdiction.
The United States used a near-record 20.3 million tons of road salt last year, largely because areas from the Northeast to the Midwest had heavier-than-average snowfall. Parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, for instance, got four to six times their typical amounts. Vermont, New Hampshire and other areas set records.
The harsh winter left salt storage barns virtually empty. Communities that needed additional salt late in the season had trouble finding it because supplier stockpiles had also been depleted, according to Dick Hanneman, president of the Salt Institute, a trade group.
This year, many states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, requested bids early, Hanneman said, and salt orders grew significantly. Five states increased their orders by a total of 2 million tons over last year.
Suppliers quickly realized that at that pace, they would not have enough salt to bid on other contracts, he said.
The rising cost of gasoline and diesel compounded the situation, Hanneman said. Road salt — which, unlike table salt, is sold in large crystals — is transported by barge and truck from mines in Kansas, Louisiana and Texas. Some is shipped from as far away as Chile in South America.
State agencies that maintain interstate highways are supplied first, leaving smaller communities the hardest hit by the shortage, Hanneman said.
In Chesterton, Ind., about 135 miles northwest of Indianapolis, salt suppliers allotted the town only the 800 tons it uses in an average year — even though last year’s snowfall was double the normal amount.
“Between safety and politics, we’re going to have to salt the roads,” Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg said.
Last year, Chesterton paid Chicago-based Morton Salt $41.23 a ton for road salt. This year’s quote came in at $103.63.
Morton spokesman Joe Wojtonik said the company increased production at its mines after orders rose between 8 and 28 percent.
“We’re producing at the highest practical safe level we can,” he said.
Schnadenberg plans to conserve salt when winter begins. “I think all the communities are going to replan on how much they salt and where,” he said.
Other communities expect to use more sand or to adopt a cheaper sand-salt mixture. Neshannock Township in New Castle, Pa., plans to use a special pretreated salt mixture that isn’t as expensive as regular road salt.
Livingston County, Mich., is turning to a slurry made from sugar beet pulp mixed with salt brine that could trim 25 percent from the county’s $4 million snow-and-ice removal budget.
Still, this year’s salt shortage could pose risks for motorists, who may need to learn to drive on slippery roads or stay home.
Said Neshannock Township Supervisor John DiCola Jr.: “Some of the services we’ve been receiving … maybe we just aren’t going to be able to do that anymore.”
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Associated Press Writer Don Babwin in Chicago contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.