Issues
How Secrecy Pacts Keep Regulators, Public in the Dark
by Ben Kelley 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…
Harley-Davidson Clean Air Act Settlement
(Washington, DC – Aug 18, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with Harley-Davidson, Inc., Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, LLC, Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company, Inc., and Harley-Davidson Motor Company Operations, Inc. (collectively Harley-Davidson), that requires the companies to stop selling and to buy back and…
General Motors innovation could rewrite service business
Imagine a customer arriving at a dealership’s service drive with the diagnostic work completed, the faulty part identified and the warranty repair approved before a service writer even greets the driver. You don’t have to imagine it. It’s happening. This spring, General Motors quietly introduced a new feature for its OnStar connected car technology called…
Report: 1 in 6 cars on road is recalled but not fixed
Click here to view the full article from KWWL By: PAUL A. EISENSTEIN (NBC) – You check your oil, tune the engine and make sure you car’s brakes are working right. But you may still be riding around in a four-wheeled time bomb, it turns out. At least 45 million vehicles – about one in six…
Safety ‘shenanigans’ must be addressed, Nader says
DETROIT — It takes a surprisingly small number of people to change the world — and that’s one thing consumer advocate Ralph Nader wishes more people realized. “It’s easier than you think,” Nader told Automotive News. “Historically, a handful of people, again and again, supported by public opinion, turned the country around.” Nader should know,…
CAS Analysis Shows Tesla (Joshua Brown) & Jeep Shifter (Anton Yelchin) Deaths Lie at NHTSA’s Feet
CAS Analysis Shows Tesla (Joshua Brown) & Jeep Shifter (Anton Yelchin) Deaths Lie at NHTSA’s Feet July 15, 2016 The tragic deaths of Anton Yelchin and Joshua Brown due to faulty electronics must be placed squarely at NHTSA’s feet. In its zeal to advance vehicle electronics, NHTSA has forgotten it is a regulatory agency to…
Second Circuit Decision Opens Door for Ignition Switch & Other Defects Claims Against GM Previously Barred by Bankruptcy Court
July 13, 2016 GM consumers today received a major victory in their ignition switch lawsuits that were previously barred by the US Bankruptcy Court. Today’s decision by the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals means that these consumers will finally get their day in court to assert ignition switch claims that could exceed $10 billion. As the court noted, “The amount…
HIGHWAY SAFETY: More Robust DOT Oversight of Guardrails and Other Roadside Hardware Could Further Enhance Safety
Click here to view the GAO Study Click here to visit the GAO Study Website What GAO Found The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) oversees and promotes states’ installation of crash-tested roadside safety hardware through guidance and policy directives to states and by issuing letters to roadside safety hardware developers that provide states with information on…
Congressional Study Faults Highway Agency Over Testing of Guardrails
A congressional watchdog on Thursday accused federal highway officials of poor oversight of the safety testing of guardrails and other roadside equipment, in a report based on a yearlong investigation. The study, by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, was done mainly in response to concerns about a widely used guardrail system…
CAS Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria
Click below to view the CAS Comment CAS Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria – 6/20/16