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Fair Warning Commentary from Ben Kelley
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
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Older Cars Left Behind When Safety Motors Ahead
Federal auto safety regulations cover new cars, of course. But what about older cars? Of the more than 250 million vehicles on the roads, three-quarters are more than five years old, according to the data firm IHS Automotive, and more than 50 million are pre-1999 models. They met the government’s safety rules when they were […]
A Little History and a Reality Check on GM Safety Scandal
When General Motors CEO Mary Barra appeared before Congress in early April to apologize for the company’s 10-year cover-up of a lethal safety defect, it was a headline-grabbing moment. But it was not unprecedented. Hovering over Barra was the ghost of another momentous GM mea culpa, delivered to Congress nearly half a century ago. On […]
Like Them or Hate Them, Injury Lawsuits Sometimes Expose Health and Safety Hazards
The scandal over General Motors’ concealment for more than a decade of dangerously defective ignition switches in some of its cars highlights an often-overlooked fact: Injury lawsuits sometimes reveal health and safety hazards that would otherwise remain secret. As Ben Kelley notes, the deadly ignition defects were not exposed by engineers for GM or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but by an engineer for plaintiffs in a wrongful-death suit.
Gun, Road Safety Veer in Different Directions
Vehicle crashes have long been the leading cause of violent death in America. That dubious distinction may soon belong to gunshot deaths.
School Bus Safety is Stuck in Idle
Federal transportation officials are sending a mixed message to kids by urging them to buckle up when they ride in cars, but refusing to require safety belts in school buses.
Campaign Aimed at Hazardous Rental Cars Shifts into High Gear
A sweeping federal legislative proposal aims to ensure the safety of millions of rental car customers by getting recalled but unrepaired vehicles off the road.
Rental Car Firms Taking a Wrong Turn on Recall Bill
What began as a simple bill to assure that car rental companies in California provide defect-free cars to their customers has become ensnarled in a full-out campaign by those companies to kill the bill as it moves through the state’s legislature.
Auto Safety in the Breakdown Lane
America’s once-vigorous commitment to stopping death and injury on our roads — one of the nation’s most severe public health problems — has become dangerously weak. With the failure of auto safety legislation in the last Congress, it appears that the public and its policymakers may no longer be interested in supporting tough measures to substantially reduce bloodshed on the highways.
How Secrecy Pacts Keep Regulators, Public in the Dark
By Ben Kelley on April 13, 2016
For businesses that make and sell dangerous products, secrecy is a cherished ally. They work hard to prevent safety regulators and litigants from learning about their products’ hazards. One way they accomplish this is by concealing information revealed in lawsuits for those killed or injured by such products. Automobiles are often targeted in lawsuits, so […]
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