Category: Blog

Center for Auto Safety NHTSA Making Us All Guinea Pigs

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Clarence Ditlow, in an Op-Ed in U.S.A. Today warns us all:“Congress intended that standards would regulate and stimulate new safety technologies. Today’s NHTSA has abandoned the regulatory side for the stimulation side, leaving safety by the wayside. By not issuing safety standards on driverless vehicles, NHTSA creates a safety vacuum that will inevitably lead to consumers dying as unwitting guinea pigs in crashes of unproven driverless vehicles.”  See

Once again, NHTSA is conducting government of the people, by, and for Global Motors.
Remember the promise of “Hope and Change”?
Lou
—

____________________Lou Lombardowww.CareForCrashVictims.com

Vehicle Violence: Motorcycles Damaging Our Health

Dear Care For Crash Victims Community Members:

A release with documentation from the Center for Auto Safety cautions us all about the Harley- Davidson air pollution case.

Cheating is a way of life in the auto industry so why trust them with our lives?

 

http://www.autosafety.org/harley-davidson-clean-air-act-settlement/

 

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/harley-davidson-clean-air-act-settlement

 

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-08/documents/harleydavidson-cd.pdf

 

Clarence Ditlow

Executive Director

Center for Auto Safety

1825 Connecticut Ave NW #330

Washington DC 20009

Another way in which we suffer from vehicle violence.
Lou
—

____________________Lou Lombardowww.CareForCrashVictims.com

Crash Victim Petition Gains More Than 1 000 Signatures in Days

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

The inspirational Karth family petition for action by President Obama has gained more than 1,000 signatures in just a few days!  As we recently wrote there are millions of reasons to sign their actionable petition.

Please continue to spread the word and build the community support for safety progress.

See http://www.thepetitionsite.com/384/321/600/end-preventable-crash-fatalities-appoint-a-national-traffic-safety-ombudsman/

For people who need to know more why I recommend Marianne Karth’s work please see her safety resume attached.  She, her family, and all Americans deserve her support.
Please see video of their tragic losses.  She created it to help prevent tragedies happening to all of us.  Warning:  It probably will bring tears to your eyes as it did to mine.

Lou Lombardo

Decades Of Deaths By Truck Underride

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Marianne Karth has written an excellent article for Trucks.com.

“When Will We Tackle Underride? – The Hidden Dangers in Trucks”

See https://www.trucks.com/2016/08/10/trucks-underride-hidden-danger/

Almost every other day in the U.S.A. today someone is killed in a truck underride crash as counted by NHTSA.

Worry when you see a heavy truck on the road because NHTSA has failed to fix the problem for decades.  If you can see the truck, you are in danger – danger that NHTSA has not seen for too long for too many Americans.Inline image 1

Lou Lombardo

Decades of Deaths and Injuries By Design of Weak Seats

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Deaths and Injuries By Corporate Designs
The problem has been carefully and powerfully described in an excellent CBS video at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/seat-back-failures-injuries-deaths-auto-safety-experts-demand-nhtsa-action/

The video relied in part on the noble and diligent work of the Center for Auto Safety for decades to end these needless tragedies.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog/blog-seatbackfailuresresponsibility/

Some progressive political pressure grew but not enough to move the Obama Administration yet.  See

Yesterday, the Center for Auto Safety released additional information that continues to build the case for humane and moral action to end this vehicle violence.  The CAS found evidence of 327 deaths and 3,278 injuries since 2003 that NHTSA should have acted on.  The data shows Ford had the most deaths while GM had the most injuries.  See http://www.autosafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Supplemental-EWR-Letter.pdf
Decades of NHTSA Failures to Protect Americans Here
Where is the Obama Administration?  Defending shipment of $400 million in cash to Iran – apparently in part for 4 American hostages.  Compare $400 million to the 327 deaths valued at $9 million each using DOT policy value of a statistical life = $3 billion.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/crash-costs.php

Note the Obama Administration spends more than $100 million each year on vehicle safety research – but it is managed by former GM employees.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-lastdecade.php
Resources Not Spent On Safety
Where are the Foundations?  The largest Gates spends 75% of our money overseas.  (Yes, I think of it as “our money” to some extent since it was made here in the U.S.A. and tax sheltered here for years.)
Imagine how many lives would have been saved if the Center for Auto Safety over the past 40 years had a budget of $10 million each year (actually it is far less than $1 million).
Note the Obama Administration spends more than $100 million each year on vehicle safety research – but it is managed by former GM employees.  And because of the freely spinning DOT Revolving Door by too many past, present, and future corporate servants.
Under Obama, American taxpayers bailed out automakers, but Obama has overseen scandals at NHTSA and an estimated 250,000 deaths by the end of this year here in the U.S.A.  Currently, vehicle violence is resulting in 100 deaths + 400 serious injuries and an estimated cost of $2 billion every average day in the U.S.A. today.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/MonthlyReportforJanuary2016-Corrected.pdf
Lou Lombardo
—

____________________Lou Lombardowww.CareForCrashVictims.com

Clinton Kaine Campaign Needs To Adopt a Vision Zero Goal Now

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

The Clinton and Kaine Campaign The Clinton – Kaine bus tour is currently going through the swing States of PA and OH.  These States are suffering from a loss of jobs in manufacturing including steel and autos caused, in part, by failed safety policies for decades.  If we had a national Vision Zero Goal, it could stimulate the use of specialty high strength steels and boost the economy by improving the demand for, and supply of, safer vehicles here in the U.S.A.

We need governmental plans and policies that address the clear and present dangers we have in the U.S.A. today.

Consider as the next 100 days pass until Election Day, 2016, let us recall some statistics on why a goal to end Vehicle Violence is a real life or death matter.Next 100 Days

Over the next 100 days Vehicle Violence, in the U.S.A. alone, will result in:

~10,000 Deaths.  Current rate about 100 deaths per day.~ 40,000 Serious Injuries. Serious injuries include Brain (TBIs, Spinal Cord (quadriplegia and paraplegia), amputations and burns at a current rate of about 400 per day.~ $200 Billion in losses. Current rate about $2 Billion in losses per day.Next 4 YearsOver the next 4 years Vehicle Violence, in the U.S.A. alone, can be expected at current rates to result in:

~ 140,000 Deaths.  Current rate is about 35,000 Deaths per year.
~  560,000 Serious Injuries.  Current rate is about 140,000 serious injuries per year.
~  $3 Trillion in losses.  Current rate is about $836 Billion per year using 2010 NHTSA estimates.

“When quality of life valuations are considered, the total value of societal harm from motor vehicle crashes in 2010 was $836 billion.”

See NHTSA Fatality Data: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812240

Here’s hope for change for the better.
Lou

—

____________________Lou Lombardowww.CareForCrashVictims.com