Category: Blog

Hillary + Obama Play Gun Card Against Bernie


Hillary + Obama Play Gun Card Against Bernie

January, 2016

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Gun Violence AND Vehicle ViolenceBoth are bad and need to be ended ASAP.
But President Obama, Hillary Clinton and other politicians have long had a “Strange Indifference to Highway Carnage”.  See http://www.fairwarning.org/2012/09/a-strange-indifference-to-highway-carnage/

Now President Obama and Hillary are using the gun violence issue against Bernie.

President Obama is adding his tears and thumb on the scale to help Hillary on gun violence – ignoring crash violence.  See Molly Ball comments on Washington Week at time 17:39.http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/episode/executive-action-guns-north-korean-nuclear-threat-and-countdown-iowa-nh And see Huffingon Post Blog atlctabus.com/new.asp?entry/sotu-gun-violence_56900d90e4b0c8beacf6e71a?utm_hp_ref=politics Is this fair?  Balanced? In the Public Interest? Let’s look at the numbers.

Deaths by Motor Vehicle vs Firearms
2013 MV Traffic Deaths = 33,804 using NHTSA 30 day rule that lowers apparent magnitude of the problem.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-officerdies.php
(Also note 8.1 % increase in estimated crash deaths in 2015) Seehttp://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812217.pdf
2013 Firearm Deaths = 32,383
Injuries by Motor Vehicles vs Firearms

In 2010, guns took the lives of 31,076 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings.  This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour.1

73,505 Americans were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal gunshot wounds in 2010.2

Firearms were the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide in 2010, following poisoning and motor vehicle accidents.3

See http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-deaths-and-injuries-statistics/

2013 MV-Occupant Injuries Hospital Treatment =2,462,684 

(note does not include non occupants such as pedalcyclists)

2013 Other Assault Injuries (Guns) Hospital Treatment =1,291,100 

See http://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc-charts/leading_cause_of_nonfatal_injury_2013-a.gif

In sum, by the numbers, more harm by vehicle violence than gun violence.
Political Tilt  So why the political tilt?  Why an empty seat at the State of the Union for gun violence victims but not one for crash victims?
NY Times reports on the coming State of the Union address:“Mr. Obama plans a thematic message that effectively will be as much a campaign agenda as a governing document. While not on the ballot himself, Mr. Obama hopes to use what may be the largest television audience left in his presidency to frame the debate about who should replace him and where the country should go from here….” 
“At the same time, Mr. Obama hopes to generate support for his approach to issues like climate change, gun control, immigration and income inequality that can boost Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, even if it does not result in further action during his tenure…. “In a survey conducted by The New York Times and CBS News in December, 68 percent of Americans said the country is on the wrong track, the highest such figure in more than two years.”  Seehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/11/us/politics/obama-last-state-of-the-union In another article, the NY Times reports:“Hillary Clinton holds a three-point edge over Senator Bernie Sanders in Iowa, a tightening of the race with roughly three weeks until voting begins, according to a new set of surveys of likely voters from NBC/The Wall Street Journal/Marist.”  Seehttp://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/10/bernie-sanders-makes-strong-showing-in-new-polls/What about past, present and future crash victims and voters?
Iowa lost 317 lives in 2013 to crash injuries.  
Iowa suffered about 1200 serious injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries in 2013. Using DOT values about $9 million per statistical life = $2.8 billion
Using DOT values of about $1 million per serious injury = $1.2 billion
Total = an estimated $4 billion in a current average year in Iowa. See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/crash-costs.php See how all States ranked in 2013 (last year of available NHTSA data) attached:
Note: Iowa ranked in the worst percentage group (greater than 60%) of fatalities that were not even transported toany medical facility for emergency care.
Imagine if all voters knew how big a problem crash deaths and serious injuries were in their State.
Nationwide: Under President Obama’s watch the U.S. is on track to count the loss of more than 268,000 lives to crash injuries and about 1 million seriously injured in crashes.  Seehttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/MonthlyReportforJanuary2016-Corrected.pdf
Not the “Hope and Change” I expected from President Obama after 7 years as President.  He could have done better.  Yes he could.
Lou

 

PBS News Hour Interviews Ralph Nader On Elections & Wrongful Injury in America


PBS News Hour Interviews Ralph Nader On Elections & Wrongful Injury in America

December, 2015

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

As the public faces a critical election year, the PBS News Hour interviewed Ralph Nader on the important issues of America’s past, present, and future well-being.

“NH: What about campaign reform? Particularly, following Citizens United and the opening of the spigot to even more donations from corporations or, more likely, the leaders of the corporations that actually have the money and write the checks.

RN: If politics and elections are for sale, guess who’s going to be the highest bidder?  The powerful and wealthy, and they will in effect rent our political system and our government– to service them between elections. And I keep saying, one percent or less of this people pushing for change on an issue supported by a majority of the people can defeat the most powerful corporations and their political cohorts any day of the week.”  See Videos and transcript at 

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/qa-ralph-nader-on-civil-litigation-tort-reform-and-his-new-museum/

“RALPH NADER: Although the law of wrongful injury affects millions of Americans every year, it’s never discussed in political campaigns, except negatively.”  Seehttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/inside-ralph-naders-american-museum-of-tort-law/
Thanks for 50 years of hard work building a Safer America.
Lou

 

Research on Fatal Intersection Crashes and Presidential Political Solutions


Research on Fatal Intersection Crashes and Presidential Political Solutions

December, 2015

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Roger Lanctot, a safety analyst, has written:“Automotive safety gadfly, Lou Lombardo, a former NHTSA analyst, notes that the total number of highway fatalities in the U.S. to date is 3,685,564 – three times the number of U.S. fatalities in all wars since 1776. As a result of these staggering figures, the historical and daily death toll, there is a cottage industry around mitigation strategies.”  Seehttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fun-facts-fatalities-big-data-roger-c-lanctot

Having done some work in this area, I am making it available to our community for their potential additional contributions.

First, note Figure 11 in the attached Spatial Analysis paper in which we were surprised to find just 3 intersections in the U.S. that had at least one fatal crash in each of the four years 2001-2004.  We were trying to define “dangerous intersections”.  Defining the problem is important to developing solutions.

Second, deep data research is also important in defining the problems and developing solutions.  In a NHTSA report, published in 2007, we examined intersection fatal crash data from FARS to better understand both problems and potential solutions for fatal intersection crashes.  Seehttp://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810682.pdf

This week the Congress passed legislation that provides some money and some policies for safety.  Hopefully, some of the money  and policies will advance safety in America.  More is needed.
Political Solutions
Surprisingly, this week at the Republican Presidential debate on CNN, an important question resulted in an interesting response by Mr. Trump and the audience on the importance of focusing resources on huge clear and present dangers here in the U.S.A. today.

“Mr. Trump, are Americans safer with dictators running the world in the Middle East?

TRUMP: In my opinion, we’ve spent $4 trillion trying to topple various people that frankly, if they were there and if we could’ve spent that $4 trillion in the United States to fix our roads, our bridges, and all of the other problems; our airports and all of the other problems we’ve had, we would’ve been a lot better off. I can tell you that right now.

We have done a tremendous disservice, not only to Middle East, we’ve done a tremendous disservice to humanity. The people that have been killed, the people that have wiped away, and for what? It’s not like we had victory.

It’s a mess. The Middle East is totally destabilized. A total and complete mess. I wish we had the $4 trillion or $5 trillion. I wish it were spent right here in the United States, on our schools, hospitals, roads, airports, and everything else that are all falling apart.

(APPLAUSE)”  See

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/us/politics/transcript-main-republican-presidential-debate.html

Now imagine the Democratic presidential candidates raising the major violence issue of crash deaths and serious injuries.  Candidate Clinton was willing to raise the gun violence issue.  Now let the candidates debate the need for national action on crash violence.  Activists are rightly pushing “End Gun Violence”. It is not just guns that kill people.  Vehicles kill people too. Now activists need to push for a Vision Zero Goal for crash deaths and serious injuries in new vehicles in or by new vehicles in a decade.  End the 100 crash deaths, 400 serious crash injuries, and $2 billion in crash losses occurring in the U.S.A. today – every day.  Seehttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/clock.php

Lou

 

NHTSA Advances Truck Underride Protection –


NHTSA Advances Truck Underride Protection –

December, 2015

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Karth family that lost two daughters works to advance truck safety.

See and subscribe to their inspirational posts to help at:http://annaleahmary.com/2015/12/unexpected-events-progress-in-underride-protection/

Lou

 

Scrooge OnStar Safety (SOS) Story


Scrooge OnStar Safety (SOS) Story

December, 2015

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

GM has deliberately designed a defective SOS System based on the principle of Pay or Die.  More than a decade ago, I recall an OnStar response to a NHTSA question, that shocked some of us as callous, that if the subscription was not up to date OnStar would not help.

Here is the latest example.  Amy Hudak of ABC News affiliate 13WHAM Rochester, NY reports:

“Greece, N.Y. — One week from Christmas, Tom Michaels did not think he would spend the holiday with his father-in-law.

89-year-old Anthony DePinto was declared missing after leaving his home Thursday on Paula Red Lane in Greece nearly 13 hours earlier.

He did not have a cell phone with him, but knew enough to push the OnStar button in his Chevy. DePinto told 13WHAM News that OnStar picked up and told him he did not have a subscription.

“They told him there was nothing they could do because he didn’t have a subscription,” DePinto’s son-in-law Tom Michaels said. “They would not let him call home, they would not let him call in the emergency.”

A massive state-wide search began and Anthony’s picture was displayed nearly everywhere….”

“The family is pushing for OnStar to change their ways and their priorities.

“They could definitely make a 911 call. There is no excuse – it’s unacceptable,” Michaels said.

Anthony and his family are fortunate for a happy ending, having their dad back home and safe with the family, but said the outcome could have been far worse.

“A lot of people who are elderly go missing and it’s not a good ending,” Michaels said.

13WHAM News did reach out to OnStar. They apologized for the experience and said if you’re not a subscriber, their computers cannot locate the car. In that case, they call authorities. OnStar added they were not sure whether or not Anthony DePinto’s emergency call was passed on to police.” See

http://13wham.com/news/local/onstar-ignores-89-year-old-emergency-caller  and

http://consumerist.com/2015/12/21/onstar-ignores-elderly-mans-request-for-emergency-help-because-hes-not-a-subscriber/ GM has sold variations of this “defective by design” system since 1996 to a poorly informed public. What is worse is that since 1997 when the life saving potential of Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) and URGENCY software was developed by NHTSA researchers – before NHTSA became a captive agency, the agency still has not set a safety standard for such systems.  See numerous papers on ACN & URGENCY athttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/urgency.php  
GM and NHTSA have failed to provide the public the protection available and needed for decades.
Lou