Category: Blog

Powers of People to Protect People – District Attorneys, Grand Juries, & Media


Powers of People to Protect People – District Attorneys, Grand Juries, & Media

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

The NY Times Editorial Board concludes: “The Long Island crash shows that federal safety loopholes need to be closed, while New York State needs to create stronger inspection and safety standards of its own. Without them, the Suffolk grand jury warned, another tragedy is bound to happen.” See http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/opinion/the-dangerous-lure-of-stretch-limos.html

The County Grand Jury found: “The deaths and injuries were  entirely preventable, caused by driver failure, improper limousine construction, and inadequate regulatory oversight.”  See http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/da/PDFs/GJ%20reports/Special%20Grand%20Jury%20Limo%20Crash%202015.pdf

We need more Grand Jury investigations of crashes, injuries and consequences to achieve safety for all of us.

Lou Lombardo

 

Power To Protect People: The American Legal System – Under Attack


Power To Protect People: The American Legal System – Under Attack

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

First, watch Nader Interview at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3jtTJLRcA

Second, read “The Truth About Torts” and all the ways our paths to health, safety, happiness, and justice are under attack at http://www.progressivereform.org/torts.cfm

Third, see article on our legal rights to protect our safety and happiness and a graphic of Lady Justice struggling under the burden of Big Bucks published by Legal Reader at http://www.legalreader.com/power-of-people-to-protect-people/

The Lady Justice graphic is available for reproduction free with attribution to Legal Reader.

Lou Lombardo

 

Truck Safety Coalition Compares Safety Progress in EU vs. U.S. Decline since 2009


Truck Safety Coalition Compares Safety Progress in EU vs. U.S. Decline since 2009

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Safety record in truck tragedies increase of 15% in U.S. is compared with E.U. progress in reduced truck tragedies of 23%. See attached graphic.

 

Used and Unsafe Vehicles For Sale – Along With Too Many Public Officials


Used and Unsafe Vehicles For Sale – Along With Too Many Public Officials

January, 2017

Dear Care For Crash Victims Community Members:

People who can’t afford to buy new cars recently voted for change.  The result is an election that put Republicans in political control of the White House and both Houses of Congress.

Both the Democrat and Republican parties and the media have let the public down for decades in the area of auto safety.   See http://www.fairwarning.org/2012/09/a-strange-indifference-to-highway-carnage/

Now Michael R. Lemov has written an article on the life or death problems of sale of used cars that have been recalled but not fixed thanks to legal loopholes in existence for 50 years.  See http://www.thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/315350-buying-that-new-used-car-congress-must-put-safety-first

Now as we approach the 4 Millionth death in America due to vehicle violence we find we are largely on our own.
Consumer Reports offers a Used Car Buying Guide to help Americans buy wisely and safely.  See  http://www.consumerreports.org/cars-used-cars/?loginMethod=auto

Most people and politicians do not know that more people by far die of vehicle violence injuries in Red States than in Blue States.  There is in reality a huge need and justification for bi-partisan support for safety measures to protect people in all States.
As Ralph Nader wrote about the power of fairness and common sense that most people share in Unstoppable:
“Campaigning for President in 1980 in Michigan, he (Reagan) attacked the proposed air bag standard as restricting our freedom.  I sort of agreed with him.  Upon being asked for comment by a Detroit reporter, I said, “Yes, the air bag does restrict the driver’s and passenger’s freedom to go through the windshield in a crash.” (p.40)
We the people must demand safety from both parties.  President Trump in his inauguration address said “We will make America safe again.”  It is the American people’s job to hold him accountable such that his deeds match his words.  See http://www.npr.org/2017/01/20/510629447/watch-live-president-trumps-inauguration-ceremony
Lou Lombardo

 

Consumer Reports – Empowering Us To Protect Ourselves


Consumer Reports – Empowering Us To Protect Ourselves

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
The Need To Protect Ourselves

At the end of the Obama years, the vehicle violence record dictates we look for how we can better protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our society. Over the last 8 years vehicle violence in America resulted in: *  250,000 lives lost *  1,000,000 serious injuries including burns, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries resulting in paralyses, and crippling limb injuries. 

*  costs estimated by NHTSA to amount to $6 Trillion

And these vehicle violence losses are growing at an increasing rate.

Consumer Reports (CR)

Consumer Reports is now asking important questions:  “As Trump Takes Office, What’s Top of Consumers’ Minds?”  See http://www.consumerreports.org/consumer-protection/as-trump-takes-office-what-is-top-of-consumers-minds/?loginMethod=auto

CR survey notes that 66% of Americans do not trust the government to look out for consumer interests.

The CR survey also notes auto safety on the list. “Automakers, as well as the high-tech companies whose products increasingly play a role in the driving experience, must make safety their top priority when engineering and deploying new cars and technologies, and be quick to respond when their products are found to have problems. As CR’s CEO, Marta Tellado, noted last fall: “The world needs visionary companies that push the envelope and create products that exceed our expectations. But ambition must be balanced with accountability: When emerging technologies bring with them new risks, it must be the company and not the consumer that shoulders them.”

CR Tools Empowering People

The CR New Car Buying Guide rates 260 models and is out now.  It has 240 pages of useful information on models.  Safety information includes:
*  Safety Ratings: CR Tests of Accident Avoidance
*  Safety equipment availability (standard and optional) for Front Crash Prevention
*  IIHS Crash Test Ratings for Front (Small Overlap and Offset), Side, Rear, and Roof Crush
*  NHTSA Crash Test Ratings for Front, Side, and Overall
*  Braking and Handling Performance Test Results
Additional Consumer Information includes: *  Fuel Economy
*  Reliability including Trouble Spots for 17 categories over past 3 years
* Consumer Satisfaction (Would You Buy That Car Again? Evaluations of Driving, Comfort, Value, and Styling)
*  Buying Advice including Checklists and Recommendations 

CR Videos: See http://www.consumerreports.org/video/view/cars/auto-test-track/5276249573001/2018-toyota-camry-preview/

Why Use This Information?
Two NHTSA stories:  Once a high NHTSA executive was visibly skeptical of my mentioning the value of CR ratings.  He later left to work for Chrysler.
Once I asked the top safety engineer for one of the big 3 auto manufacturers, and he replied that CR ratings really made a difference in the market for safer vehicles.
I have recommended CR for decades on the basis of the ability of their independent evaluations to help people save time, aggravation, money, and possibly their lives.
Lou Lombardo

 

GM Petition For Inconsequential Non Compliance on Takata Air Bags

GM Petition For Inconsequential Non Compliance on Takata Air Bags

January, 2017

Lou Lombardo