Category: Blog

Very Important Safety Questions Raised By a Citizen Activist


Very Important Safety Questions Raised By a Citizen Activist

January, 2016

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

One of our members, Marianne Karth, is asking very important questions that come from the heart, soul, and head. Her questions deserve to be read, heard, and heeded for the greater safety of all of us.

Please see them at http://annaleahmary.com/author/marianne/

Spread the word and help her help us all to a Safer America.

Lou

 

Fwd: URGENT: Important Highway Safety Presser Tomorrow


Fwd: URGENT: Important Highway Safety Presser Tomorrow

January, 2016

Dear Care For Crash Victims Community Members:

Here is an important Embargoed Report to be released tomorrow from Advocates from Highway and Auto Safety titled “Missing”.

Missing refers to State Safety Laws missing in each State.

Buried in the State summaries are statistics on the number of people who died of crash injuries in each State for the past 10 years.  Add them up and we find that 362,532 Americans are “missing” i.e., lost their lives due to vehicle violence over the 10 year period.

Using NHTSA figures of estimated injuries nearly 1.5 million additional people suffered serious injuries in America over the 10 year period.  These people are also “missing” – i.e., not counted. 

Using DOT values of $9 million in comprehensive costs per fatality, America “missing” losses would be valued by DOT to be about $3 trillion.

The press conference will be telecast live Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 1 p.m. EST at  https://scontent.webcaster4.com/web/2016highwaysafetylaws

Numbers of vehicle deaths by Congressional District over the 10 years up to 2013 are available at https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=e21e612d64654d75943f85a1a6035472

Hopefully, media will not be “missing”.

Lou 

———- Forwarded message ———- From: Jackie Gillan <jgillan@saferoads.org> Date: Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 6:01 PM Subject: URGENT: Important Highway Safety Presser Tomorrow To: Jackie Gillan <jgillan@saferoads.org>

Attached for your use is an embargoed copy of Advocates 2016 Roadmap Report that will be released tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST. I hope you can join us at the National Press Club or by webcast.  Please contact Beth Weaver for more information at 301.814.4088 orbeth_weaver@verizon.net

 

Thanks, Jackie

MEDIA ADVISORY

IMPORTANT HIGHWAY SAFETY EVENT TOMORROW

 

Highway Deaths Expected to Have Dramatically Increased in 2015,

Yet States are Missing Lifesaving Laws and Legislators are Missing in Action

 

Report Rates States on 15 Commonsense Traffic Safety Laws That Prevent Crashes,

Save Lives, Reduce Injuries and Contain Costs

 

WHAT:           NEWS CONFERENCE – Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety releases its thirteenth annual report card grading all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their performance in adopting 15 basic highway safety laws on adult and child occupant protection, impaired and distracted driving, and teen driving. The2016 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws will focus on the “missing laws” and “missing leadership” in state capitals despite a projected eight percent increase in deaths during the first half of 2015 compared to 2014. In 2015, there were fewer optimal traffic safety laws passed in state legislatures than in the history of the publication of the Roadmap Report. Advocates will also unveil a list of the “best and worst” states, though no state has adopted all 15 of the optimal recommended laws.

 

In 2014, there were nearly 33,000 people killed and 2.3 million more injured in motor vehicle crashes. The steep economic toll amounts to $836 billion in comprehensive costs annually. These figures are expected to climb while legislative action is plummeting. 

 

WHEN:           Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 1 p.m. EST

 

WHERE:        National Press Club, Murrow Room, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC

 

WHO:             Jacqueline Gillan, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Mark Rosekind, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (invited)

J. Thomas Manger, Chief of Police, Montgomery County, MD Police Department.  Chief Manger’s Department recently suffered the tragic death of Officer Noah Leotta who was killed by a repeat offender drunk driver while serving on a special DUI assignment.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association (APHA)

Tammy and Paul Kalp (Dover, DE), Paul was involved in a motorcycle crash in 2012.  He was not wearing a helmet and sustained serious injuries including the loss of the use of the right side of his body and a traumatic brain injury.

Joan Claybrook, Consumer Co-Chair of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, President Emeritus of Public Citizen, and former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Bill Vainisi, Insurance Co-Chair of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Allstate Insurance Company

 

Catherine Chase, Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

 

LIVE WEBCASTof the news conference at https://scontent.webcaster4.com/web/2016highwaysafetylaws

 

BACKGROUND: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is a coalition of leading consumer, health, and safety organizations and insurance agents and companies that work together to advance state and federal highway and vehicle safety laws, programs and policies.  The 2016 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws will be available on January 28, 2016, 12:01 a.m. EST at www.saferoads.org.

 

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Jacqueline S. Gillan President Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety 750 First Street, NE Suite 1130 Washington, DC 20002202.408.1711 (office)202.408.1699 (fax)www.saferoads.org

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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

 

Airbags in 1966 and Subsequently


Airbags in 1966 and Subsequently

December, 2015

I had the privilege of working with Dr. Carl Clark at NHTSA in the 1980s.

By 1973, GM had produced and sold airbag vehicles to the U.S. government.  See  https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-daylaightsavings.php

Auto safety expert Byron Bloch still owns one of the original GM airbag vehicles.
That development of production airbag vehicles by GM between 1966 and 1973 using 1960s technology shows how much progress can be made when the governmental and corporate will is applied to advance safety.  
Imagine how much progress could be made today using 21st century technologies to achieve Vision Zero deaths and serious injuries in or by a new vehicle in a decade.  Where is the political will?
Lou

 

Senators Blumenthal and Markey on NHTSA’s Unaceptable Recall Completion Rates


Senators Blumenthal and Markey on NHTSA’s Unaceptable Recall Completion Rates

December, 2015

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Josh Zembik (Blumenthal) – 202-224-6452

December 23, 2015

Giselle Barry (Markey) – 202-224-2742

BLUMENTHAL, MARKEY ON NHSTA RECALL COMPLETION RATES: “COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND A MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT”

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) issued the following statement on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) current completion rates for replacing recalled Takata airbags:

 

“Today’s update from NHTSA reiterates what we already know: the current pace of recall efforts is completely unacceptable and a massive disappointment. While they have increased somewhat in the last few weeks, these completion rates are dismal – NHTSA and automakers deserve a lump of coal this year for failing to get their act together to get every potentially deadly airbag off the road. As the holiday season brings increased travel, Americans on the road to visit family or friends should not be at risk because of NHTSA’s lethargic recall.

 

“The coordinated remedy and appointment of an independent monitor are helpful steps, but are largely required because NHTSA has moved too slowly and ineptly for years, allowing a patchwork of recalls too confusing for consumers to follow. Automakers have dragged their feet and failed to quickly and clearly communicate the extent of the risk to NHTSA and the public. While NHTSA’s appointment of John D. Buretta, an experienced litigator with a track record of protecting consumers, as independent monitor of the recall is a positive step, NHTSA must ensure that Mr. Buretta has all resources necessary to effectively oversee this critical task.

 

“While we appreciate Honda, Subaru, and Mazda’s recall expansions to ensure an adequate safety margin, there remain many un-recalled vehicles on the road  that still contain potentially defective Takata airbags. The identification of yet another preventable death – this time a young boy and well after when this safety defect was first made known – reiterates the urgent need for swift recall of all cars with these potentially defective airbags, which we have been urging NHTSA to require for months. The longer it takes to require and complete this recall, the more drivers and passengers are at risk of injury or death.”

 

 

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