Category: Blog

No Sweat — NHTSA & Takata Strike Deadly Deal Behind Closed Doors – Obama Plays Golf


No Sweat — NHTSA & Takata Strike Deadly Deal Behind Closed Doors – Obama Plays Golf

June, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

In today’s Washington Post, Dana Milbank notes that President Obama on Tuesday evening hosted Tiger Woods and other great golfers in the White House.  “CBS News’s Mark Knoller, the unofficial statistician of presidential activities, reports that Bush played golf only 24 times while in the White House; Obama is up to 177 and now has a round-a-week habit.”

Today we read the following release from Clarence Ditlow, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety.NHTSA & Takata Strike Deadly Deal Behind Closed Doors To Limit Airbag Inflator Recall        “Sitting in air conditioned offices away from the sweltering humidity of Washington streets and away from the eyes of public scrutiny, NHTSA and Takata officials reached one of the strangest recall deals ever seen.  They agreed Takata could limit recall of airbag inflators that explode and send shrapnel into the occupant compartment to Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and U.S. Virgin Islands.  The agreement totally ignores states such as Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and others with notoriously high relative humidities not to mention Washington DC and even Portland Oregon which is higher than Hawaii. Without explanation, the agreement relies on absolute humidity for which records are scanty and no data are provided by either NHTSA or Takata. When it comes to a defect so deadly as an airbag inflator that kills like a shrapnel bomb, the public deserves more than a private nod from NHTSA to Takata just like the agency gave GM on the ignition switch defect.” Statement of Clarence Ditlow Executive Director

NHTSA NHTSA Statement on Takata Airbag Inflatorshttp://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/NHTSA-statement-on-takata-air-bags  – 6/23/14 PE14-016 Opening Resumehttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Airbag%20PE14016%20Opening%20Resume.pdf  – 6/11/14 Takata Letter to NHTSA ODIhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Letter%20to%20ODI%20-%20Regional%20Recall.pdf  – 6/11/14 Manufacturer Campaigns BMW Conducts “Voluntary Limited Regional Parts Collection Campaign” 14V-348http://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20BMW%2014V348%20Part%20573.pdf  – 6/19/14 Chrysler Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVIhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Chrysler%20Field%20Action.pdf  – 6/20/14 Ford Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVIhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Ford%20Field%20Action.pdf  – 6/19/14 Mazda Conducts Special Service Program in FL, HI, and PR Onlyhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Mazda%2014V344.pdf  – 6/20/14 Nissan Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVIhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Nissan%2014V340.pdf  – 6/19/14 Toyota Conducts Campaign only in FL, HI, PR, and USVIhttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Toyota %20Takata%20Airbag%20Recall%2014V-350.pdf  – 6/19/14 Honda Campaign Rightly Covers Additional Absolute Humidity States Honda Safety Improvement Campaign 14V-351 Part 573 Defect Noticehttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Honda%2014V351%20Part%20573.pdf Honda Safety Improvement Campaign 14V-353 Part 573 Defect Noticehttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Takata %20Honda%2014V353%20Part%20573.pdf Statement by American Honda Regarding Front Airbag Inflator Market Actions http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=7804-en  – 6/23/14 NEWS NY Times: Now the Air Bags Are Faulty, Toohttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/business/international/honda-nissan-a nd-mazda-join-recall-over-faulty-air-bags.html  – 6/23/14 NY Times: Toyota Orders Big Recall Tied to Airbag Parthttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/automobiles/toyota-recalls-2-3-millio n-vehicles-for-air-bag-problem.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw% 2C%5B%22RI%3A5%22%2C%22RI%3A16%22%5D  – 6/11/14 CAS ACTIONS “It’s Not Hot in Death Valley and It Doesn’t Snow Hard In Buffalo” – NHTSA Sings the Blues for Geographic Recall Victimshttp://www.autosafety.org/its-not-hot-death-valley-and-it-doesnt-snow-h ard-buffalo  – 2003 U.S. District Court Decision on Geographic Recallshttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/GeoDistrict.pdf  – 9/30/04 CAS Information Page: Don’t Be a Geographic Recall Victimhttp://www.autosafety.org/dont-be-geographic-recall-victim  – 2003 TOYOTA Toyota Recall 14V-350 Part 573 Defect Noticehttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Toyota %20Takata%20Airbag%20Recall%2014V-350.pdf  – 6/19/14 Toyota Recall 14V-312 Part 573 Defect Noticehttp://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Toyota %20Airbag%2014V312%20Part%20573.pdf  – 6/10/14 Dealer Notice of Suspension of Recall 13V-133http://www.autosafety.org/sites/default/files/imce_staff_uploads/Toyota %20Airbag%2014V312%20Suspension%20of%2013V133.pdf

What are Americans to conclude from this?  Should Americans conclude as I have been saying for all the years of Obama’s presidency that NHTSA is a captive agency?

Or since more Americans have died of crash injuries since President Obama took office (and playing 177 rounds of golf), than died in the Afghanistan, Iraq, Viet Nam, and Korean wars combined should we conclude something else?
Either President Obama does not care (despite the fact that his biological father died of crash injuries), or he is a puppet of auto industry lobbyists who pull the strings.
How many more tragedies do Americans have to experience before we can make our elected officials care?
Lou

 

GM Recalls: How GM Silenced a Whistle-Blower on Dangerous Defects


GM Recalls: How GM Silenced a Whistle-Blower on Dangerous Defects

June, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Bloomberg reports: “It was close to 3 a.m. on June 6 when Courtland Kelley burst into his bedroom, startling his wife awake.General Motors (GM), Kelley’s employer for more than 30 years, had just released the results of an investigation into how a flawed ignition switch in the Chevrolet Cobalt could easily slip into the “off” position—cutting power, stalling the engine, and disabling airbags just when they’re needed most. The part has been linked to at least 13 deaths and 54 crashes…. “The “Valukas Report,” named for former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas, who assembled it at GM’s request from interviews with 230 witnesses and 41 million documents, blamed a culture of complacency for the more than decade-long delay before the company recalled millions of faulty vehicles. It described employees passing the buck and committees falling back on the “GM nod”—when everyone in a meeting agrees that something should happen, and no one actually does it. On page 93, a GM safety inspector named Steven Oakley is quoted telling investigators that he was too afraid to insist on safety concerns with the Cobalt after seeing his predecessor “pushed out of the job for doing just that.” Reading the passage, Kelley felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The predecessor Oakley was talking about was Kelley.”

See http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-18/gm-recalls-whistle-blower-was-ignored-mary-barra-faces-congress

See also article on GM power  over the past decade athttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/CFCV-MonthlyReport-March2014-2%20.pdf

Lou

 

Stopping Rolling Defect Dangers To Us All


Stopping Rolling Defect Dangers To Us All

June, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Automotive News Publisher Keith Crain has again done the public and the auto industry an important service.  He has endorsed a solution to stopping Rolling Defect Dangers.  

“I recently had a conversation with Joan Claybrook, former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about the extremely low rate of recalled vehicles that actually get repaired.

I have heard some pretty low compliance numbers over the years — less than 20 percent on some recalls, depending on how serious the consumers consider the situation.

But even on the most serious recalls, the percentage of owners who get their cars and trucks fixed is mighty low — even with the manufacturer paying the tab.

Joan’s suggestion is so simple it makes you wonder why it hasn’t been tried: If a vehicle hasn’t had all recall repairs made, the owner can’t register it to operate on the road.”

See 

 


Trial Lawyers Publish a Report on History of Litigation Landmarks in Auto Safety

June, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Trial lawyers Report “Driven to Safety” is available at:http://www.driventosafety.org/

Trial lawyers have done a lot of good over the decades for crash safety.  But in my humble opinion, not nearly enough.   Over the period covered by these “successes” more than 2 million Americans have died of crash injuries and about another 8 million suffered serious injuries.

Read this report and note: *  Nader is mentioned but only in a footnote.   *  Advocates and leaders such as Joan Claybrook and Clarence Ditlow, not mentioned.

*  Insurance industry contributions not mentioned.
*  Contributions of scientists and engineers in industry and government such as Dr. Haddon, not mentioned.

*  Engineer who identified GM switch defect, not named.

*  GM Switch comparison graphic in small print on p.5 shows the force difference in the new switch was nearly doubled.  But the authors describe the difference simply as 1.6 mm longer.

My plea to trial lawyers:  You can, and must, do better.

Lou

 

NHTSA Celebrates EMS Week May 18-24, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

NHTSA celebrates its 40th Anniversary of EMS Week with a Selfie message from its EMS Director Drew Dawson.

See http://ems.gov/newsletter/aprilmay2014/letter_from_director.htm#

Drew joined NHTSA over a decade ago from many years with Montana EMS. When he arrived at NHTSA a decade ago, I thought I would show him the possibilities of saving the lives of more crash victims with new technologies of Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) and URGENCY software to improve timely, optimal emergency medical care.

I showed him a map of crash deaths by location in the State of Montana thinking he would be delighted as to how we could do better saving lives with instant notification of serious crashes along with URGENCY information on the calculated probability of a serious injury being present.

I was shocked by his reaction. He became visibly upset and said those people were DRT’s!

I had not heard that term before so I asked what it meant. He said DEAD RIGHT THERE!

I returned to my office dismayed but determined to continue research on ACN & URGENCY without his support.

One can see how many Americans have died in crashes in Montana and every other State for the years 2002 – 2011 at

http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=71c3bb8008ae4682ab0a36f090a2b443&extent=-161.4739,21.4327,-63.388,54.2524

Montana totals now approach nearly 3,000 crash deaths. National totals to date now exceed 400,000 crash deaths. See http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811754AR.pdf

What a legacy!

NHTSA certainly could have done better — much better.

Sorry I was not able to do better.