February 29, 2016
On Friday, the Office of the Inspector General threw another report on the stack of official criticisms of the way the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation operates. As its title suggests, Additional Efforts are Needed to Ensure NHTSA’s Full Implementation of OIG’s 2011 Recommendations was a look at the progress the […]
February 26, 2016
Last month, the automated gate industry implemented a new voluntary standard ostensibly designed to decrease the chances that individuals will become entrapped, injured or killed by a motorized gate. Will it matter? Automatic gates have been crushing people with regularity since communities and businesses began installing them in the early 1970s, despite occasional education campaigns, […]
February 12, 2016
Without even waiting for Fiat Chrysler to reply to its Information Request, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has bumped a Preliminary Evaluation into the electronic shifters in 856,284 late model Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles up to an Engineering Analysis investigation. More than 300 consumers have complained to FCA and […]
January 25, 2016
Another day, another episode of the long-running soap opera, All My Airbags. Last week, on the heels of the tenth death and the eve of an historic blizzard, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that another five million vehicles with defective Takata airbag inflators will be recalled. This recall will include driver’s side SDI-type […]
December 17, 2015
Q: When’s the best time to pass a rule? A: When nearly everyone already complies! While it puts you at the trailing edge of safety, it diminishes the intensity of the opposition – so it’s all good. Such is the state of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal to upgrade the Federal Motor Vehicle […]
December 7, 2015
After years of short-term fixes as durable as a pothole cold patch, Congress has cobbled together a $300 billion, five-year comprehensive transportation bill, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. (We know that Congress loves it some acronyms. But, it’s been a decade since House and Senate passed the last long-term transportation bill, the mouthful […]
November 24, 2015
Another reason to ditch LATCH? A study recently published in Traffic Injury Prevention concluded that the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) “does not offer equal protection to lap/shoulder belts from head injuries in rear impacts” when used with rear-facing infant safety seats. The study, conducted by Robson Forensic, Inc., based in Lancaster, PA, […]
November 11, 2015
In May, Honda recalled some 2014-2015 Acura MDX 2WD and AWD, RLX and 2014 Acura RLX Hybrid vehicles, because its Collision Mitigation Braking System could incorrectly interpret certain roadside objects such as metal fences or metal guardrails as obstacles and unexpectedly apply the brakes. In October, Google and Volvo were demonstrating their driverless cars for […]
October 29, 2015
Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board issued findings and recommendations following a 10-month long investigation into tire safety. The effort was launched after two February 2014 two deadly tire-related crashes in Louisiana and Florida. (The latter crash involved an uncaptured recalled BF Goodrich tire and the former an 11-year old Michelin Cross Terrain.) In December […]
October 23, 2015
In February 2014, there were two tragic, fatal, and high-profile tire crashes on U.S. highways that might very well constitute a tipping point for tire safety. One involved an 11-year-old Michelin Cross Terrain tread separation on a 2004 Kia Sorrento that led to a crash into a school bus carrying 34 members of a Louisiana […]