Month: April 2017

Hope For Government of, by, and for the people

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

On April 20, 2017, I was crossing the Verrazano Bridge in the afternoon and was shocked to see the Manhattan skyline almost invisibly shrouded in polluted air.  This one day after just having published an article about Earth Day and Ralph Nader’s contributions to protecting people from many forms of harm including pollution.  See http://www.legalreader.com/powers-of-the-people-on-earth-day-2017/

Today, Nader’s column describes Trumps first hundred days aimed at fighting regulations rather than real problems.

“The worst of Trump’s egregious attacks on regulatory protections are coming out of his mindless Executive Orders (EO) to federal agencies. While many are of dubious legality – they would require Congressional legislation – his intent is clear: roll back major protections of Americans wherever they eat, breathe, drink, work, drive and receive healthcare.” See https://nader.org/2017/04/26/trumps-hundred-days-of-rage-and-rapacity/
 
Hope for representative government was given the people by Lincoln.
“Lincoln…memorialized the sacrifices of those who gave their lives at Gettysburg and extolled virtues for the listeners (and the nation) to ensure the survival of America’s representative democracy: that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address
 

Nader continues his work of more than 50 years for such governance.  Public Citizen, founded by Nader, is working to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” does not devolve into government of the people, by, and for the billionaires.  See http://corporatecabinet.org/page.cfm?id=78

 

Lou Lombardo

Resources for Earth Day 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Legal Reader has published an article on Powers of the People on Earth Day 2017.

It provides information and links to resources that can be used by people in the legal profession to help us all reduce vehicle violence – including air pollution.
 

See http://www.legalreader.com/powers-of-the-people-on-earth-day-2017/

I hope you will find these resources helpful.

We, the people, for our safety and happiness, need to act to protect ourselves from injurious policies and practices of government and corporate powers.
 

Lou Lombardo

 

 

Pedestrian Protection Wrongdoing by Tesla and NHTSA in the U.S.A. Today

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

An excellent article with videos has been published on Pedestrian protection that notes the failures by Tesla to offer pedestrian protection in the U.S. that it offers in Europe to meet EU NCAP.   See article by Lloyd Alter at http://www.treehugger.com/cars/teslas-sold-europe-have-active-hood-protect-pedestrians-american-pedestrians-look-both-ways.html

The National Safety Council reports that in 2015 in the U.S. there were 6,700 pedestrian deaths and an estimated 160,000 pedestrian nonfatal injuries.  See Injury Facts 2017, page 116.

Tesla has received from American taxpayers about $4.9 Billion.  See article by Jerry Hirsch at

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html

What can be done to make Tesla more responsible to Americans?

“Five institutional investors, including the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (Calstrs), the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds,  and CtW Investment Group, have signed a letter to Tesla director Antonio Gracias urging the company to seek board members that are independent of Elon Musk.
In addition to expanding the size of the Tesla board to include two new members that do not have ties with Musk, the group which manages a combined $721 billion in assets – Caslstrs is the second largest pension fund in America – is also advocating for annual elections for all board members. Presently, only one third of the directors are elected each year. Calstrs is one of the founders of Investor Stewardship Group, which includes several other major investors such as BlackRock Inc., State Street Corp., Vanguard Group, and T. Rowe Price Group. In January, that group formulated a new policy position that supports annual elections for all board members as a way of increasing the accountability of directors to shareholders.

The influential group of investors argue that “Directors should be held to a higher standard of independence given the conflicts of interest that permeate this board.”, according to a report by Bloomberg. “A thoroughly independent board would provide a critical check on possible dysfunctional group dynamics, such as groupthink.”

See https://www.teslarati.com/investor-group-urges-tesla-seek-board-members-independent-elon-musk/

As for NHTSA, maybe if we could get images of the children dying of pedestrian injuries in the U.S.A. nearly every day, President Trump and his daughter would be moved to act.  NHTSA data shows 233 children under the age of 14 died of their injuries suffered as pedestrians in 2015 due to vehicle violence.  See Table 2 at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812375

Lou Lombardo

Legal Reader Publishes Book Review of “Death by Rental Car”

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Legal Reader has published my review of Ben Kelley’s excellent book on a story that continues to be of life or death or disability importance for all of us.

Too many people are still not aware of the hazard we all face with 63 million defective vehicles still n the roads in the U.S.A. today.  Please see
http://www.legalreader.com/death-by-rental-car-how-the-houck-case-changed-the-law/

This book can help save lives and livelihoods.

Lou Lombardo

Invitation to Lecture at Emory University By A Leader of Vision Zero Policy: Claes Tingvall

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

I have been asked by Dr. Mark L.Rosenberg to invite our readers to attend this lecture on May 7, 2007 when Dr. Tingvall will receive an honorary degree.

I urge all who can do so to attend and meet Dr. Tingvall. The invitation is attached.

For a Wikipedia description of the progress of Vision Zero policy adoption around the U.S. and the world see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_Zero

I have had the honor, privilege, and pleasure of working on safety issues since the 1980s when I was at NHTSA and Dr. Rosenberg was at CDC.  See
https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/bookCDCInjuryinAmerica.pdf


One landmark report to Congress “Cost of Injury in the U.S., 1989” (out of print) for which we were acknowledged is now available, along with later valuations of injury costs, at https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/crash-costs/

It is appropriate that Dr. Rosenberg is making this invitation to our readers to meet Dr. Tingvall.  The losses due to motor vehicle violence now amount to more than $2 Billion per day in the U.S.A. today as valued by DOT.

Lou Lombardo

Traffic Through DOT and NHTSA Revolving Door – In and Out

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

 

Consumer groups document and protest while officials belly through the Revolving Door as the nation approaches its 4 millionth death and 1 billionth injury due to vehicle violence.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/death-clock/

Consumer Watchdog releases documents at
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-nhtsa-chief-rosekinds-move-to-robot-car-company-zoox-calls-agencys-self-driving-policy-guidance-into-question-consumer-watchdog-says-300434588.html

Washington Post that has added to its masthead the words “Democracy Dies in The Dark” reports on comments by former DOT Secretary Foxx and Zoox CEO Tim Kentley-Klay at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/04/04/consumer-group-calls-foul-after-former-highway-safety-chief-joins-self-driving-car-startup/?utm_term=.4f0d1480ff93 

 

Note: Americans are suffering and dying in the dark at the rate of more than 100 deaths per day and 400 serious injuries such as paraplegia, burns, amputations, and brain injuries each and every average day in the U.S.A. today from vehicle violence.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/NHTSA-economicimpact-2000.pdf  And see
https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/812013.pdf

NHTSA currently values each vehicle violence death at $9.6 million.  Thus the fatality losses alone are estimated by NHTSA to equal about $1 Billion per day.

 

All this at a time when NHTSA data indicates that the number of fatalities in 2016 will be the highest in over a decade.  See

The NY Times piece by Ditlow and Nader warned about the problems at NHTSA.  See https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/opinion/weak-oversight-deadly-cars.html

 

When will we ever learn?

 

Lou Lombardo

63 Million Unsafe Recalled Vehicles Endangering U.S. Today

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Legal Reader has published an article I provided (pro bono).

The American people and the legal community need to know more about the dangers we all face from recalled but still unfixed vehicles.

 
Hopefully this article will give people sufficient warning to prevent additional tragedies from vehicle violence.

Lou Lombardo