| Dec 30 |
Enterprise pays $18 million to rental car victim
How could it be dangerous? The answer is simple and it points out a major flaw in government transportation standards. Car rental companies don’t have to repair recalled cars before renting or selling them. Consumer groups are urging the government to change that because the practice leads to car accidents. |
Commercials make renting a car seem so easy. The airways are full of car rental deals. A quick call puts drivers in any car they want, commercials say. The company will even deliver it. The service is fast, efficient and dangerous.
| Dec 29 |
Recalled Britax car seat chokes, cuts kids
That’s the reason the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 23,000 Britax car seats made between April 2009 and May 2010 in early November. The CPSC issued the recall due to a defective clip in the car seat’s chest harness. The federal agency calls the clip a serious potential hazard. It can break easily and cut an infant. The CPSC also calls the clip a choking hazard because it is so small. The CPSC has received four reports of breaking clips – three involving lacerations and scratches and one report of an infant putting the clip in its mouth. |
Car accidents are the leading killer in the United States of kids 14 and under. Car seats can reduce those fatalities by a 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children between the ages of one and four, according to Safe Kids USA. But if car seats are not properly installed or they are poorly made, they put kids in danger.| Dec 14 |
Toyota defects victims boosted by judge’s support for sudden acceleration, bad brake lawsuits
In U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, CA, Toyota had moved to dismiss key causes of action in 51 lawsuits pending against it. But Judge James V. Selna issued a preliminary opinion to deny this. Instead, lawsuits can proceed against Toyota for negligence, design defects, failure to warn and fraudulent concealment. |
A federal judge in California has ruled in favor of plaintiffs in Toyota lawsuits over defective cars which were flawed by such problems as sudden acceleration and | Jul 06 |
Voters may put brakes on red light cameras, but car wrecks are dropping
Oh, so that’s what it’s about? It’s not about drivers being peeved that they were caught? If revenue streams were a good reason for discontinuing such cameras, why draw the line? Should no one get a traffic fine for any violation — ever — because that would enhance a city’s revenue streams? Of course, then no one would be punished, and rampant law-breaking on our roads would cause more traffic accidents. |
Across America, disgruntled drivers are leading a backlash against red light cameras, which remotely spot red-light runners who are notified by mail of their traffic violation. It seems these drivers dislike the fact that cities “use” such system for revenue streams.| Mar 12 |
Car accident deaths down, despite rise in distracted driving fatalities
But imagine how much better it could be without the onslaught of cell phone addiction. Millions of Americans drive with one hand on the wheel — at best — while calling and texting with the other. And when only a moment’s inattention can cause a lifetime of misery, these driving distractions are among the biggest threats on our roads today. |
Driving deaths overall are down in America, but could be much lower without one thing: distracted drivers who call or text at the wheel. A new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals the United States had 33,963 traffic fatalities in 2009, a drop of 8.9 per cent from 2008. With driving deaths declining for 15 consecutive quarters, this also was the lowest level since 1954.| Mar 04 |
Texas’ biggest road menace? Uninsured motorists
This is not to say all 4.1 million uninsured vehicles are driven recklessly and may hit you. But if one does, you’re in big trouble — even if you weren’t to blame. That’s because it can be hard to collect car accident damages when the at-fault driver has no insurance. Your own insurance company won’t want to pay, and the other driver probably won’t be able to pay. Checkmate. |
As a Texas driver, what should be your biggest concerns on the road? Drunk drivers? Right up there. Speeding drivers? Certainly. But don’t forget drivers of 4.1 million more vehicles. That’s how many are uninsured, says the Texas Department of Insurance.