Category: Blog

Victims Voices Bringing Us Closer To Achieving Vision Zero Crash Deaths in a Decade

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

An excellent article by crash victims was published in the NY Times.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/nyregion/how-being-hit-by-a-vehicle-changed-times-colleagues-lives.html

Voices of crash victims desperately need to be heard and heeded if we are to accelerate progress toward achieving Vision Zero Crash Deaths and Serious Injuries in a decade.

When I started at NHTSA under Joan Claybrook, I had the privilege of beginning study of effects of crash injuries on families. See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/effects-on-families.php

Reagan stopped that line of inquiry at NHTSA in 1982 along with reducing the agency by 33% (300 people). NHTSA today, after more than 1.5 million more crash deaths, is still operating at that reduced level and under greater industry influence.

These voices are eloquently joining other citizen efforts to achieve Vision Zero. See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-lessons.php and for growing political interest and possibilities see https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-progressive.php and for even some positive action by NHTSA on pedestrian protection see https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-praise.php

Greater voices = greater choices for building a safer America.

Imagine the mapping that appears in the NY Times article extended across the nation by State and Congressional district. This can be done. See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/CrashDeathMappingTools.php

As for detailed information on consequences of leg and foot injuries see https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/CIREN3.pdf

Thanks to the NY Times, crash victim authors, citizen activists, and Mayor de Blasio for his leadership in setting a Vision Zero goal for NYC. Now we need such leadership for a national Vision Zero goal.

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.

More Evidence of NHTSA and GM’s Failures to Protect Americans

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Please see latest Center for Auto Safety letter and attachments at

CAS Letter to NHTSA Administrator Friedman: Proper Enforcement of Stalling Recalls Could Have Prevented GM Ignition Deaths –

And see excellent CNBC Documentary with voices of victims at

http://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/cnbc-originals/full-episode/failure-to-recall-investigating-gm/260083779531

Hopefully these will help improve safety.

Associated Documents:

Friedman Stalling Recalls Letter with Attachments

Stalling Recalls Detailed

Number of Crash Deaths Counted by NHTSA are Much Higher Than Reported in FARS

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

In the year 2012, NHTSA counted 33,561 crash deaths in FARS.

But that number should higher by about 1,600 more crash deaths that occurred – just not in traffic – according to NHTSA’s ironically named Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) data system. About 260 of these 1,600 people killed each year, but not reported in FARS, are children.

See Latest NHTSA NiTS Reports attached.

NHTSA was finally forced to report such data as a result of demands spurred by tragedies, crash victims, lawyers, advocates, and an Act of Congress.

See Center for Auto Safety’s years long campaign “Missing in FARS” at http://www.autosafety.org/campaigns/24

Crash victims and safety advocates can and do make a difference when officials in all three branches of government – and people in the media – act responsibly.

See just one tragic story at http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/east/2013/12/09/241085.htm

Why does it take so many tragedies before government does the right thing? Even just counting tragedies?

Associated Documents:

Traffic Safety Facts – DOT HS 811 812

Traffic Safety Facts – DOT HS 811 813

GM Cost U.S. Taxpayers Another $826 Million

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

“U.S. taxpayers are taking a bigger loss on the General Motors bailout package than $10.3 billion originally reported. Due to an accounting error, the loss is actually $11.2 billion, according to a report released today.

The Treasury Department reported an $826-million administrative claim had been written off on March 20. However, the claim, which has not been revealed, cannot be written off….”

“Others suggest that GM should repay the losses, but that notion was dismissed by then-CEO Dan Akerson, who told an audience at the National Press Club last December that the government took a risk like any other investor – including those wiped out when GM filed for Chapter 11 protection.”

Source: http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2014/04/taxpayers-taking-bigger-hit-on-gm-bailout/ and http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/30/us-autos-gm-treasury-idUSBREA3T0MR20140430

Oh well, former GM CEO Dan Akerson says the taxpayers took a risk just like any other investor. And $826 million compares with about 90 lives lost when valued at $9.2 million per statistical life in accordance with DOT policy. See attached DOT policy.

$9 million happens also to be the amount GM paid Dan Akerson in 2013. One DOT life’s worth = 1 year of GM CEO income. See https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/25/gm-awarded-former-ceo-akerson-about-9m-in-2013.html

NHTSA has data on how many lives are lost each year in GM crashes but does not publish such figures.

We can do better than this, but it may take additional tragedies before we do.

Associated Documents:

VSL-Guidance-2013