Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Please see Monthly Report #2 for March, 2014 attached and with attachments.
Hopefully the Hearings will not miss the forest for detailed examination of the trees.
Focus on processes, definitions of sufficiency of evidence, and what low level people did or did not do will “dead end” in weeds in the forest.
We can and must do better than this protecting Americans from crash injuries.
Associated Documents:
NHTSA Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Overview
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Bloomberg reports:
“U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said there’s no reason for General Motors Co. (GM) to pull cars affected by its ignition-switch recall off the road while waiting for new parts to be available.
Foxx said in a May 6 letter to lawmakers that he’s satisfied GM has limited safety risk by advising customers of precautions to take until their cars are repaired.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined the geometry and physics of the cars’ keys, ignition switches and steering columns, Foxx said. Regulators evaluated GM’s testing of cars driven with a single ignition key under different road conditions and believe they’re safe, he said.
“NHTSA is satisfied that for now, until the permanent remedy is applied, the safety risk posed by the defect in affected vehicles is sufficiently mitigated,” Foxx said in the letter to Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.”
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-07/no-need-to-park-gm-s-recalled-cars-foxx-tells-senators.html
This raises questions of who in NHTSA provided this advice? Was anyone at NHTSA involved that previously worked for GM or another auto company? Or reported to someone who previously did so? Or is hopeful of future corporate rewards? The evidence is growing that
NHTSA has been driving under the influence of GM since 2001.
See: https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-lastdecade.php
When NHTSA won’t even issue a public safety advisory, what is the public to do? As Nader recently said about his new book
“Unstoppable” politicians need to hear the rumble of the people.
Listen to his eloquent lecture at:
The media has a role here to inform motorists to protect themselves, because, sadly, the present DOT NHTSA management won’t.
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Everyone who cares for crash victims – past, present, and future, have cause to be pleased with the moral leadership shown the world by NYC Mayor de Blasio setting a worthy goal and a specific plan.
Now the NYC Vision Zero Plan has been released and is at my Blog and in the NY Times Editorial of support.
NY Times Editorial with excellent links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/opinion/calmer-streets-safer-city.html?emc=eta1
In addition, civic activist Keegan Stephan of rightofway.org provided this link on the development of political support that preceded this historic moment.
Recent News reports:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/nyregion/de-blasio-announces-steps-to-reduce-traffic-deaths.html
NY Times Room for Debate forum at:
The Care for Crash Victims January 2014 Report
We also provided both National context and suggestions how Vision Zero could be expanded to other cities as well.
See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/monthly-report-jan2014.pdf
Let’s salute the citizens of NYC, the new Mayor, the NY Times and the media for covering this worthy goal and plan for saving lives.
True Hope and Change for the Better!
Associated Document:
NYC Vision Zero Plan (PDF – 19 MB)
NHTSA is holding a Listening Session tomorrow. My comments are attached.
Instructions for comments are at:
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/02/04/2014-02241/2014-2018-strategic-plan
Itinerary:
8:30: Kick off: Chan Lieu, Director, Office of Government Affairs, Policy, and Strategic Planning
8:40: Acting Administrator David Friedman
9:00: Speakers
Session Organizer:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Government Affairs, Policy, and Strategic Planning
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. W40-313 Washington, DC 20590
Phone: (202) 366-0689
Blackberry: (202) 507-3525
Associated Document:
Agenda – Comments on NHTSA Strategic Plan
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Crash victim mother speaks of the loss of her daughter. See video at
NY Times reports on GM Recall of 1.4 million vehicles:
NY Times reports on the decade of delay by GM, Deaths, and NHTSA’s failure to protect Americans under Bush and Obama:
LA Times reports on GM apology — just in time for Nader’s birthday tomorrow:
When will we ever learn to make the changes at NHTSA and GM so that these ethical and perhaps criminal failures to protect are prevented?
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Sen. Markey is now inquiring into GM and NHTSA failures to protect American motorists.
Joan Claybrook has noted below that a maximum fine by NHTSA may be $17 million.
How does a fine of $17 million compare:
See http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/10/gm-ceo-barra-akerson-pay-compensation/5374869/
DOT policy values a statistical life at $9.2 million. See attached DOT memo
What if there are more than 13 crash deaths?“Thirteen deaths and 31 crashes in which air bags failed to deploy have been linked to the issue.
NHTSA said in a statement it has “opened an investigation into the timeliness of General Motors’ recall of faulty ignition switches to determine whether GM properly followed the legal processes and requirements for reporting recalls.”
Separately, The Detroit News has learned that GM has hired an outside law firm to conduct a full review of the issue….
The law firm — which GM officials would not name — is conducting an extensive review of the company’s actions.”
Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140226/AUTO0103/302260102/0/auto01/Feds-investigating-GM-s-handling-ignition-switch-recall
“Washington — Former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Joan Claybrook said in a letter to the agency on Thursday that because NHTSA hasn’t finalized regulations required by Congress, it might not be able to impose the full $35 million penalty on General Motors Co. if it found the automaker failed to recall 1.62 million older cars for ignition switch problems vehicles in a timely fashion. In fact, $17 million may be the maximum fine.
“NHTSA’s own gross failures to require a recall over the last decade for these vehicles also raise questions about whether the agency can be the cop on the corporate beat, alert to protecting the public safety, as the Congress intended,” Claybrook said.
Congress in 2012 said the maximum penalty NHTSA could impose for failing to recall vehicles in a timely fashion was raised from about $17 million to $35 million. But it required NHTSA by Oct. 1, 2013, to issue a final rule describing its interpretation of the relevant penalty factors.
“The fact that NHSTA didn’t issue this relatively simple final rule in a timely fashion (and before the GM recall) could put in jeopardy its authority to impose the increased $35 million penalty,” Claybrook said.
NHTSA didn’t immediately comment.
During the debate over transportation legislation during 2010-2012, NHTSA endorsed a proposal to hike fines to up to $200 million if automakers failed to recall vehicles within five days of determining they posed an unreasonable risk to safety. But the auto industry successfully lobbied to see it reduced to $35 million.”
Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140227/AUTO0103/302270072/1121/auto01/GM-will-cooperate-with-NHTSA-probe-into-ignition-switch-recall
Many questions yet to be answered about the Revolving Door at DOT NHTSA? Industry people now holding high positions of NHTSA Vehicle Safety programs. A long list of high NHTSA officials who have now gone on to lucrative auto industry jobs in law firms, lobbying firms, etc.
So many unanswered questions for crash victims, past, present, and future.
Can we hope for change for the better? In my comments (attached) before NHTSA earlier this week I pointed out the following:
“in the 5 years under President Obama, Americans suffered many thousands more deaths due to crash injuries – more than 160,000 people – than the number of Americans who died in the Afghanistan, Iraq, Viet Nam, and Korean wars combined. Naturally citizens might think that the White House would have auto safety on its list of important issues. But if citizens go to www.WhiteHouse.gov issues they will be disappointed to find 33 issues listed – but not auto safety. Why?”
I also pointed out ways to do better included greater citizen involvement such as was done in the 1970 Clean Air Car Race when students from MIT challenged students from CalTech and all other universities to come up with a Clean Air Car that could meet the Clean Air Act goals of a 90% reduction in emissions proposed by Nixon for 1980 and by Muskie for 1975. The students demonstrated in 1970 that it could be done that very summer of 1970.
It was my privilege to present the results to the NAS committee of judges. I did not know the final emission test results yet as we were still testing the student built vehicles in a Cal Tech parking lot. We were experiencing near record smog levels. I was told the Los Angeles Air Pollution Control District trailer in the adjacent parking lot was measuring high levels of Ozone. At a break, I ran over to the trailer and looked at the charts and remarked these are really high levels. A tall owlish gentleman in a three piece suit standing there glowered at me and said “Smog doesn’t bother me one bit!” I was so surprised and shocked that I could feel the hair on the back of my neck bristle.
The next morning I had to turn over the final results to the Chairman of the panel who was sitting at a picnic table with other judges. As they were discussing the results with great surprise and pleasure, the Chairman called out Harry come here. Look at what these engineering students have demonstrated. Harry was Harry F. Barr, VP of Engineering, GM — the man who had glowered at me the day before.
So let’s get students involved in meeting the Vision Zero crash fatalities goal that NYC Mayor de Blasio has set for the year 2024.
Associated Documents:
Comments on NHTSA Strategic Plan
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
We citizens can stimulate a safety race that will save lives.
I hope you find this January 2014 Report helpful.
Associated Document:
Monthly Report – February 2014
DOT HS 811882 – Updated Estimates of Fatality Reduction…
