Category: Blog

DOT Secretary “Heck of a job” Anthony Foxx – “Incredible Track Record”


DOT Secretary “Heck of a job” Anthony Foxx – “Incredible Track Record”

November, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

The Detroit News reports: 

“Last week, a senior administration official told reporters NHTSA’s handling of the recall was “suboptimal.”

Foxx told The Detroit News on Friday that NHTSA’s handling of the recall “wasn’t flawless in the sense” that there were mistakes in press releases — some wrong cars and the wrong number of vehicles were listed in releases on successive days last week. And the website at which car owners could check to see if the vehicles were recalled wasn’t working for much of the week.

“That’s what was suboptimal,” Foxx said. He praised NHTSA’s “incredible track record” over the last decade.”  See 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2014/10/31/nissan-air-bag-recall/18234493/

So what was this praiseworthy “incredible track record” of NHTSA over the past decade of Bush/Obama?

Way back in August 2014, (about 9,000 crash deaths ago) NHTSA reported that over the past decade nearly 350,000 Americans died of crash injuries.  See attached NHTSA report also available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812055.pdf

In fairness to Secretary Foxx, he may not have added the annual figures, or added an estimate for 2014, or recognized the effects of the Great Recession 2006 – 2010 in the decline in crash deaths.  But then, he has little knowledge of auto safety.  Neither does the current deservedly much criticized NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman know much about auto safety.   See Secretary Foxx’s bio at
Consider that the 350,000 crash deaths is just part of the tragic statistical picture.  One has to add about 1.4 million serious crash injuries.  And using the NHTSA figures on 2010 annual societal costs of $871 Billion, one can estimate this “incredible track record” at nearly $8 Trillion.  See NHTSA Report at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf
The 350,000 crash deaths over the past decade amounts to more than 3 times the 101,442 deaths in the Korean, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars combined.  
Incredible track record, indeed!  Just what Americans voted for, but corporations delivered.
The revolving door will turn again and these “public” officials will go for their rewards for this “incredible track record”.
Lou

 

Justice and Safety for Crash Victims


Justice and Safety for Crash Victims

November, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Justice for Crash Victims

It is a rare day when crash victims receive justice.  Justice for crash victims is too often, too little, too late, for too many people.
The NY Times has just reported on a rare Justice “Success Story” for crash victims:

“Candice Anderson received the bittersweet news Monday in a Texas courtroom, fighting back tears, and her arm around the mother of the boyfriend she had felt responsible for killing in a car crash 10 years ago.

The judge cleared Ms. Anderson in the death of the boyfriend, Gene Mikale Erickson, even though she had pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the case years ago.

Ms. Anderson, 21 at the time of the crash, was driving her car when she inexplicably lost control and crashed into a tree. Mr. Erickson, her passenger, died at the scene, and Ms. Anderson has been racked with guilt ever since.

In getting her record cleared, Ms. Anderson benefited from an extraordinary — and long delayed — admission by General Motors, which on Monday for the first time publicly linked Mr. Erickson’s death to an ignition switch defect in millions of its small cars….”  

“Ms. Anderson’s Saturn Ion was among the cars equipped by G.M. with the defective switch, which can cause a loss of power, disabling power brakes, power steering and airbags. At least 35 deaths have been linked to the defect, which went unreported by G.M. for more than a decade.

In May 2007, five months before Ms. Anderson entered her guilty plea, G.M. had conducted an internal review of the crash and quietly ruled its car was to blame, but never let Ms. Anderson or local law enforcement officials know.

After the crash on Nov. 15, 2004, Ms. Anderson’s parents liquidated their 401(k) to retain a lawyer to defend her. While a deal with prosecutors spared her jail time, she was on probation for five years and paid more than $10,000 in fines and restitution.”  See 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/business/woman-cleared-in-death-caused-by-gms-faulty-ignition-switch.html?emc=edit_tnt_20141124&nlid=37926955&tntemail0=y

This article illustrates the importance of media attention to the plight of crash victims. Thanks to trial lawyers, engineers, consumer advocates, congressional pressure, government agencies and officials, and citizens doing their parts, some justice can be achieved for some crash victims.
Safety for Crash Victims
But as we are all crash victims in so many ways, we need to achieve both justice and safety to prevent injuries to all future crash victims.  Both “success” stories and “suffering” stories of crash victims help move us as a society to achieve greater safety.  With about 100 crash deaths per day, plus 400 serious crash injuries per day, and costs of about $2 Billion per day occurring in the U.S.A. today — we have a great need for crash victim justice and safety.  See
NHTSA Report on Economic and Societal Costs at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf
Lou

 

Sen. Markey Statement on Honda Plan for Nationwide Recall & NHTSA’s Regional Recall Failure


Sen. Markey Statement on Honda Plan for Nationwide Recall & NHTSA’s Regional Recall Failure

November, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

Press Release from Senator Markey:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact: Eben Burnham-Snyder (Markey) 202-224-2742

 

Markey Statement on Honda’s Nationwide Takata Airbag Replacement Program

 

NHTSA should require all companies to do the same, notify all customers

 

WASHINGTON (November 17, 2014) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who has called for a nationwide recall of the deadly, defective Takata airbags, today released the following statement regarding Honda’s unpublicized plan to allow customers nationwide to replace their airbags, not just the customers in the regional recall zones. Senator Markey is a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and this news was reported first by AP.

 

“Our highway safety agency, not Honda, should have been the first to call for this nationwide replacement of deadly airbags. NHTSA should require a nationwide recall, and should require Honda and other affected car companies to immediately announce mandatory nationwide recalls to protect American drivers.

 

“Three of the four known deaths that have occurred from these deadly airbags happened outside of the regional recall boundaries, which prove that this haphazard geographic safety regime doesn’t work. It’s time to send this regional recall policy to the junkyard, and protect all drivers on America’s roads.”

 

GM Plans to Increase Profits


GM Plans to Increase Profits

October, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

NY Times reports:“Mary T. Barra, G.M.’s chief executive, touted the plan as a fresh start for the nation’s largest automaker, which has been struggling to stabilize operations in the wake of its recall this year of millions of defective small cars tied to at least 23 deaths.

The recall, which began in February, has already cost G.M. about $4 billion, and cast doubt on the quality and safety of its products.

The crisis has also spurred dozens of subsequent recalls of other models and forced Ms. Barra and her management team to confront deep, systemic problems within the company.”

An internal investigation revealed that some G.M. employees had known of problems for a decade with the ignition switches of compact cars that could cause the vehicles to lose power suddenly and deactivate air bags.

The revelations spurred congressional hearings and a $35 million fine by federal regulators for G.M.’s failure to report the safety defect in a timely manner. The company is still under investigation for possible criminal and civil charges by the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and 45 state attorneys general.

It also faces a rising tide of private litigation, even as it starts paying out compensation to victims of the faulty switch through a fund run by the lawyer Kenneth R. Feinberg.

Ms. Barra did not mention the recalls and the mounting death toll tied to the defect in her prepared remarks to investors and analysts.”  See

Lou

 

Safety Advocates Write President Obama on Next NHTSA Administrator


Safety Advocates Write President Obama on Next NHTSA Administrator

October, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

A group of Auto Safety Advocates who have worked to successfully save lives of Americans for decades have written to President Obama.“In addition to deep-seated and systemic problems with this Agency’s oversight of the auto industry, there are numerous safety regulations that languish despite clear statutory deadlines. Public safety is delayed and denied when the Agency fails to issue safety standards for motor vehicle, motorcoach and truck safety that have been required by Congress. For these reasons, we urge you to select an individual who has extensive knowledge of the regulatory process, will not be timid in using NHTSA’s legal authority to enforce the law, understands the urgency of making improvements and will restore public confidence.”

For list of NHTSA Overdue & At-Risk Safety Regulations see attachment to recent Congressional testimony by Jacqueline Gillan.

Think of the enormity of the crash losses each day in the U.S.A.:

* Nearly 100 people dying of crash injuries

* Nearly 400 serious crash inuries
* Societal costs of more than $2 Billion.
Then think of how many times President Obama has invited safety leaders to the White House to help address auto safety.  Nader? Congressional safety leaders such as Senators Markey, Blumenthal, McCaskill, Nelson…?  The signers of this letter to the President?
We really can, and must, do better, Mr. President.  Select a proven, qualified, and committed auto safety person to be the next NHTSA Administrator – please.
Lou

 

Golden Hour Decision Saves Lives in Afghanistan


Golden Hour Decision Saves Lives in Afghanistan

October, 2014

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

As readers know, I have been advocating faster and better rescue of crash victims since the early 1990s.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/MonthlyReport-May2013-Web.pdf andhttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/MonthlyReportforJuly2015final.pdf

Now a study of military policies and practices ordered by DOD Secretary Gates in 2009 shows the importance of optimal care for the injured.

The NY Times reports:

“WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon prepared to send tens of thousands of additional American forces to Afghanistan in 2009, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates became concerned that the rugged terrain and vast distances of the war zone were keeping wounded troops from reaching hospital care within 60 minutes. This is the so-called golden hour, which combat medical experts deem vital to survival.

Despite protests from the military, Mr. Gates ordered more helicopters to Afghanistan to evacuate troops wounded by gunfire, grenades and roadside bombs. He directed that helicopters previously set aside for rescuing downed pilots be reassigned to medical evacuation, because not a single fighter jet or bomber had been shot down in the war. Mr. Gates also increased the number of field hospitals.

The initiatives appear to have succeeded. A peer-reviewed medical study published online on Wednesday reports that the secretary’s orders saved an estimated 359 lives from June 2009 to March 2014, with important lessons today for the military and the Pentagon bureaucracy.”

Please see NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/us/politics/study-says-faster-medical-evacuation-was-lifesaver-for-us-troops.html

The medical Journal article is attached.

If only President Obama and NHTSA Administrators had acted with similar focus on saving lives of crash victims here in America, many more tragedies could have been prevented. Lou