October, 2014
Insights into effects of defective seat belt design (two point belt) on a crash victim are described in a recent article. And note millions of vehicles are still on the road with such unsafe seat belts.
October, 2014
Politico reports that former 5 term Connecticut Attorney General, now Senator Blumenthal sees NHTSA as follows:
“It really is a prisoner of a culture of capture … too close to the industry,” the Connecticut Democrat said of NHTSA. “The car companies have a responsibility here to support a national recall” as well as backing an overhaul of NHTSA.
“NHTSA ought to be all over this industry,” the senator said, noting that it’s potentially too small, but the culture also needs to change.
ABC News reported Saturday the Department of Transportation will conduct a review of NHTSA.
“If the public were aware of the lawsuits that were brought, if they were settled in open view … there would be much quicker, more vigorous action,” Blumenthal said.”
October, 2014
Finally! A review after nearly 200,000 crash deaths and about 800,000 serious crash injuries under the Obama Administration…. Source: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812055.pdf
October, 2014
BMW announces at the Paris Auto Show a potentially life saving system that was developed by NHTSA in prototype form in 1997. Landmark papers on URGENCY Algorithm work that I had a role in are available at: https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/urgency.php“BMW Assist eCall and TeleService. The new BMW X6 is equipped with the BMW Assist eCall system and TeleService including a 10 year subscription. The system relays important information to the BMW Call Center in the event of a crash, such as vehicle position (accurate to within feet), chassis number, vehicle model, vehicle color and data from the onboard sensors. The system also detects how many people are travelling in the vehicle, which airbags were activated and the intensity of the impact. Thanks to the company’s ground-breaking Urgency Algorithm, the system also uses data from the vehicle’s crash sensors to assess and transmit the likelihood of severe injury. This makes it easier to supply first responders with critical information in a timely fashion.” See http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/02/2015-bmw-x6-keeps-it-weird/
An excellent article describes tragedies. See “Mom Takes on Truckers After Highway Wreck Kills Daughters” at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-01/mom-takes-on-truckers-after-highway-wreck-kills-daughters.html
Lou
October, 2014
Another good article from the NY Times covering the GM saga. “Lawyers in sweeping class-action litigation against General Motors have significantly broadened their case against the embattled automaker, claiming that the company disregarded and concealed safety issues far beyond the defective ignition switch that is now linked to 27 deaths.”
Notes to NY Times: Why not add a Comment section? And help readers by giving them a link to the Master Complaint.
October, 2014
More NY Times good reporting – including documents – on airbag defects.
“Takata was alerted to the problem as early as 2004, when the airbag in a 2002 Honda Accord ruptured in Alabama, but neither Takata nor Honda told regulators, a New York Times investigationhas shown. The first recall for the airbags was issued by Honda in 2008, for about 4,200 vehicles.
“We are compelling Takata to produce documents and answer questions under oath relevant to our ongoing investigation into defective airbags they have produced,” David J. Friedman, the N.H.T.S.A.’s deputy administrator, said in a statement.” See
So will NHTSA now compel automakers “to produce documents and answer questions under oath”? Will NHTSA make the documents and answers public? Will NHTSA hold public hearings?
When will we see a grand jury investigation that puts NHTSA and auto company officials officials under oath for more than a decade of defective policies?
Just one example of NHTSA malfeasance. See attached FY 2013 NHTSA Budget Request authorized by former Administrator Strickland seeking a decrease in Defects Investigation budget. See pp 54, 59 – 61. Note: Mr. Strickland is now a lobbyist working for a company that represents Chrysler.
Other examples of “responsible” officials who have gone through the NHTSA and other governmental Revolving doors into and out of NHTSA are at https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/CFCV-MonthlyReport-March2014.pdf
The American people can, and must, get to the bottom of this death and disability producing mess to protect themselves.
Lou
