Category: Blog

You are Invited to a Tribute To Clarence Ditlow


You are Invited to a Tribute To Clarence Ditlow

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

I can share this invitation with you so that you can join us at a tribute to Clarence’s life of work that helped us all advance safety.   Clarence’s Tribute is sponsored by the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) and the Center for the Study of Responsive Law.  

Date and Time

Thu, January 26, 2017

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST

Add to Calendar

Location

Carnegie Institute of Washington

1530 P Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20005

See links below from Katherine A. Meyer, Board Member of the CAS.

Here are the links to RSVP:  Either one should work

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-tribute-to-clarence-ditlow-tickets-29874197529

A Tribute to Clarence Ditlow

Thanks,

Kathy

Katherine A. Meyer

Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP

4115 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.

Suite 210

Washington, D.C.  20016

(202)  588-5206

(202)  588-5049 (fax)

I sincerely hope that as a member of our community you will be able to join us, share memories with each other, and exchange information on how we can carry on the good work as Clarence would want us to do.
Lou Lombardo

 

Nader Writes to Attorney General Lynch on Takata and VW Deaths and Injuries


Nader Writes to Attorney General Lynch on Takata and VW Deaths and Injuries

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Nader quoted Clarence Ditlow as follows: 

“Dear Attorney General Loretta Lynch:

News outlets are reporting that you are about to settle the criminal case with Takata airbag defect case for nearly $1 billion and the Volkswagen emissions cheating case for nearly $2 billion.

On the VW case, the New York Times reported that “the company or one of its corporate entities is expected to plead guilty to criminal charges as part of the deal.”

On the Takata case, the New York Times reported that “one point that remains unresolved is whether there will be any guilty plea to criminal misconduct, either by the company or one of its subsidiaries.”

Takata’s defective airbags have been linked to at least 11 deaths and more than 180 injuries in the United States.

As you know, Clarence Ditlow, an engineer and lawyer who headed the Center for Auto Safety for many decades, passed away last year.

In early 2016, Mr. Ditlow appeared on my weekly radio program – The Ralph Nader Radio Hour –  and called for criminal charges to be brought against Takata and VW and its executives.

Ditlow called the Volkswagen diesel case one of the most egregious corporate crime cases in history.”  See 

https://blog.nader.org/2017/01/10/open-letter-to-attorney-general-lynch-prosecution-or-guilty-pleas-for-corporate-crime/

Ditlow was right then and Nader is right now.

Lou Lombardo

 

NHTSA Estimates Fatalities Up in 3rd Quarter of 2016


NHTSA Estimates Fatalities Up in 3rd Quarter of 2016

January, 2017

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

AP reports:

There were 27,875 deaths in the first three quarters of last year, compared to 25,808 deaths in the same period in 2015.

“We still have to figure out what is underlying those lives lost,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said. “If it was simple, we would already know that.”

See http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2017/01/13/traffic-fatalities/96537568/

The NHTSA Report with the statistics (but not the tears) is at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812358

Thus the Obama Administration is on track to record more than 250,000 deaths due to vehicle violence during 8 years in office.

Lou Lombardo

 

IIHS Ratings and Rankings for Safest 2017 Vehicles


IIHS Ratings and Rankings for Safest 2017 Vehicles

December, 2016

Then thank Ralph Nader for having fought to have insurers crash test vehicles.
Lou Lombardo

 

Power of People to Protect People


Power of People to Protect People

December, 2016

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Power of People to Protect People
Legal Reader has published an article that I authored “Power Of People To Protect People”.  See http://www.legalreader.com/power-of-people-to-protect-people/ This article was inspired by the lifetime of safety work by:  *  Clarence Ditlow:  See his presentation at http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=16672 *  Joan Claybrook:  See her presentation at http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=17360 *  Ralph Nader:  See his presentation and many others at his Conference “Breaking Through Power” at  https://www.breakingthroughpower.org/    The Graphic of Lady Justice was inspired by the writings of Marianne Karth, a mother of two daughters tragically killed in a crash that should have been prevented by regulations on truck under-ride guards delayed for decades.  See http://annaleahmary.com/2016/12/road-to-zero-coalition-considers-priority-actions-to-reduce-traffic-fatalities/  Lady Justice Graphic is available to the public for free use with attribution to Legal Reader and the artist Neil F. Angeles.
Never underestimate the power of people – especially crash survivors and victims – to protect other people.   *  Cally Houck, mother who lost two daughters in a recalled but unfixed rental car.  Seehttp://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/ben-kelley-on-death-by-rental-car/ *  Stella Gurr, mother who lost a son in a 15 passenger vehicle crash.  Seehttp://blog.vanangels.ca/2015/03/mothers-say-changes-to-motor-vehicle.html. *  Laura Christian, mother who lost her daughter in a GM vehicle with a defective ignition switch.  See http://www.gmrecallsurvivors.com/  They also inspire and continue to work to save others because they suffered losses to vehicle violence.
Presidential Power Failure
The record of Presidential failures to protect people dictates that we the people have to step up and use our power.

The Power of People was written as Americans approach the end of 8 years of one Administration with a tragically disappointing auto safety record with a NHTSA  estimated  251,647 deaths due to vehicle violence under President Obama from 2009 through the first six months of 2016.   NHTSA data shows that the number of motor vehicle related deaths is accelerating and estimated to increase an additional 10% approaching an Obama legacy of 270,000 vehicle deaths.  See https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812332

Nader and Ditlow told us so.  See https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/opinion/weak-oversight-deadly-cars.html

President Obama failed year after year to adopt a Vision Zero Goal despite petitions of the American people.  The Swedish Parliament adopted Vision Zero in 1997.  Seehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_Zero
Powers of People – Needed Now More Than Ever
Daily losses due to vehicle violence in the U.S.A. today: 
*  100 deaths
*  400 serious injuries
*  $2 Billion
This is at a time when we have more technologies available to achieve an end to vehicle violence in or by new vehicles in a decade than ever before in human history.

Now as we face an incoming Administration that is talking more about the problems of regulations on business than about the problems of deaths and injuries to people, we need to begin anew conversations about what people can do to protect people.   Ralph Nader warns us of the Trump people and policies that we face.   Seehttp://www.eurasiareview.com/27122016-ralph-nader-tripwires-for-the-trumpsters-oped/

Lou Lombardo

 

Power of People to Protect People: The Consumer Reports Example


Power of People to Protect People: The Consumer Reports Example

December, 2016

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Consumer Reports (CR) has worked successfully for 80 years to protect Americans.  Testing by Consumers Union and reporting by CR has made us all safer.  

Please see their recognition of Clarence Ditlow, former long time Board Member for his lifetime of contributions to making us all safer.

See http://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/a-legacy-of-safety-lives-on-from-our-president-february-2017/

Their work shows what good work can do to save us money, time, and aggravation – and save lives.

Give a little to not get hurt.

Lou Lombardo