Posts Tagged ‘National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’
Utah Company Adopts “No Phone Zone” Pledge
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
HandStands, a national supplier of automotive promotional products, announced its executives and employees have taken the “No Phone Zone” pledge. The pledge – part of a nationwide campaign recently championed by Oprah Winfrey – is part of a movement to reduce accidents caused by drivers who become distracted using a phone while driving.
“No phone call or text message is worth a life,” said Alan Wheatley, company president. “We are committed to making sure our HandStands employees and other drivers on the road are as safe as possible, so we are requiring our employees to sign the pledge to refrain from all cell phone use when driving. While it may seem like a sacrifice from a business and even personal standpoint, we realize that it pales in comparison to promoting safety in and out of the workplace.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 25-percent of all auto accidents last year were caused by a distracted driver using a cell phone.
HandStands No Phone Zone awareness efforts have been endorsed by Jennifer Smith, founder of Focus Driven, a non-profit organization dedicated to building awareness of the dangers of mobile phone distracted driving and champion of the No Phone Zone movement.
[via Fleet Financials]
Photo courtesy of Mike “Dakinewaramon” Kline under the Creative Commons License
Tags: Alan Wheatley, HandStands, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, No Phone Zone, organization, Pledge
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Ford Warns of Floor Mat Issues
Monday, June 7th, 2010
In news strangely reminiscent of Toyota’s early woes with uncontrolled acceleration, Ford is having issues with its floor mats causing accelerator pedals to stick.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the issue in response to three independent consumer claims that their gas pedals became stuck in the depressed position by the floor mats in their 2010 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans. No crashes or injuries were reported.
The incidents in question involved aftermarket all-weather rubber floor mats installed in the vehicles. Ford spokesman Said Deep told the Associated Press that the problem arose because drivers had stacked the rubber all-weather mats on top of the carpeted floor mats that came with the vehicles. Ford’s all-weather mats have warnings advising vehicle owners never to pile floor mats and to be sure to secure floor mats properly to the floor. If the mats move, they could trap the throttle open.
This does not imply that Ford’s vehicles themselves are having acceleration issues, but make sure that your vehicles do not have unsecured or stacked floor mats to prevent similar issues.
Photo courtesy of ogilvyprworldwide under the Creative Commons License
Tags: 2010 Ford Fusions, accelerator pedals, all-weather mats, Floor Mat, Ford, Mercury Milans, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota’s
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Money Savers: The Cheapest Cars to Repair
Friday, May 21st, 2010
A new report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examines the costs of post-collision repair among several major automakers. The result: if you’re concerned about repair costs, your best bet is a Ford.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles all “cost less to repair after a collision compared to other automakers’ vehicles in the same segments” according to Motor Trend. “Nearly 80 percent of Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln vehicles matched or beat the industry average in vehicle repair.” Second place Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) placed about 40 percent of its vehicles below the average cost.
The savings don’t end at the repair shop, either; insurance companies often take repair costs into account when calculating rates, so owning one of these low-risk autos will actually reduce your payments.
Ford has made an effort to develop new repair procedures and techniques to lower repair costs for its customers. It’s obviously working for them, as Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles lead ten of 26 segments in the study.
For a list of all the segment leaders, click here.
[via U.S. News and Motor Trend]
Photo courtesy of JD Hancock under the Creative Commons License
Tags: car repairs, cheapest, Ford, Lincoln, low-risk autos, Mercury, Money Savers, Motor Trend, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Subaru Recalls Outback, Legacy
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Subaru of America is recalling more than 29,000 MY 2010 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles because a crack can occur in the CVT cooler hose, resulting in a fluid leak.
Subaru will notify vehicle owners of the recall, and dealers will replace any affected cooler hoses free of charge, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.
The vehicles covered in the recall were manufactured between July 31 and Dec. 1 of 2009.
Vehicle owners can reach Subaru at (856) 488-8500. The recall campaign number is WVQ-27.
Photo courtesy of John Renna under the Creative Commons License
Tags: CVT, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, recall campaign, subaru legacy, Subaru of America, vehicles
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Legislation Seeks Mandatory Use of Data Recorders
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Congressman Gene Green (D-TX) has announced plans to introduce legislation that will direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate electronic data recorders on all new cars and trucks.
The legislation will seek to regulate a uniform minimum standard of information to be recorded on pre- and post-crash data.
Electronic data recorders (EDRs), also commonly known as black boxes, record certain information such as vehicle speed, change in forward speed, status of airbags, and whether safety belts are engaged. EDRs provide information that cannot be obtained through traditional investigation techniques and may be useful in determining whether a particular driver was at fault in an accident.
“Electronic data recorders are necessary tools to assist in crash reconstruction and to describe specific crash characteristics,” Green said. “This information is essential to ensure consumers are being properly protected in their vehicles and to improve future consumer safety systems.”
Green’s legislation, in addition to setting a uniform standard of vehicle criteria, will require a standardized EDR download tool; require accessibility by law enforcement, crash investigators, and emergency services; and require data reporting to NHTSA. Consumer privacy will be protected, he said, by restricted access of the information to official requests, where the law requires it, the request of the vehicle owner, or in connection with litigation.
Do you agree with a requirement for recorders in your fleet vehicles? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.
Photo courtesy of Jim Royal under the Creative Commons License
Tags: Data Recorders, Electronic data recorders, Gene Green, information, Legislation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety systems, vehicle
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Pontiac Vibe Recall Tied to Faulty Accelerator
Monday, February 1st, 2010
It seems that Toyota is not the only automaker having trouble with its accelerators. Now a new recall affecting Pontiac has gone into effect:
Model-year 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles are being recalled because of the risk that the accelerator pedal may malfunction.
This recall is related to the Toyota accelerator pedal recall. The Vibe, essentially the same vehicle as the Toyota Matrix, was the product of a joint venture between GM and Toyota until GM ended it last summer. GM is no longer building the Vibe. No more than 26 new Vibes remain in Pontiac dealerships, a GM representative told Dow Jones Newswires. Sales of the vehicles have been suspended.
Toyota will be handling the Vibe recall, Dow Jones reported.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site, the recall is related to how the friction lever interacts with the sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor assembly. The sliding surface of the lever has the potential to become smooth during vehicle operation. In this condition, any condensation that may form on the surface – which can occur while the heater is operating (without AC) and the pedal assembly is cold — can lead to greater friction when the accelerator pedal is engaged. This can result in the accelerator pedal becoming harder to depress, slower to return to idle or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.
Photo courtesy of resedabear under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Dow Jones Newswire, GM, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Pontiac, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota, Toyota Matrix, Toyota recall, Vibe recall
Posted in Industry News | 2 Comments »
Safety Council: 28 Percent of Crashes Phone-Related
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
New data is strengthening the argument against cell phone use due to its distracting nature behind the wheel:
The National Safety Council estimates that at least 28 percent of all traffic crashes — or at least 1.6 million crashes each year — are caused by drivers using cell phones and texting.
NSC estimates that 1.4 million crashes each year are caused by drivers using cell phones and a minimum of 200,000 additional crashes each year are caused by drivers who are texting. This month’s announcement came on the one-year anniversary of NSC’s call for a ban on all cell phone use and texting while driving.
“We now know that at least 1.6 million crashes are caused by drivers using cell phones and texting,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “We know that cell phone use is a very risky distraction and texting is even higher risk. We now know that cell phone use causes many more crashes than texting. The main reason is that millions more drivers use cell phones than text,” she said. “That is why we need to address both cell phone use and texting on our roads.”
In constructing its estimates, NSC said it used statistical methods and analysis based on data of driver cell phone use from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and from peer-reviewed research that quantifies the risk of using a cell phone and texting while driving. NSC said its statistical model and estimates were peer-reviewed by academic researchers in traffic safety and biostatistics.
Photo courtesy of how long it takes under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: car crashes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Safety Council, NHTSA, phone-related, texting, traffic accidents
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Chrysler Recalls Vehicles With Risky Brakes
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Chrysler Group is recalling about 24,000 late-model Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles to fix a defective part that could cause sudden, unexpected brake failure.
The recall applies to some 2010 model year Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger sedans; Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee SUVs; and 2009 and 2010 model year Ram trucks.
Some of these vehicles could have an improperly formed brake booster rod retaining clip, and some Ram trucks may have been built without the piece. The part is necessary for consistent and proper functioning of the brakes.
Chrysler is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem, according a document Chrysler filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The problem was initially discovered by Chrysler factory workers, according to the document.
In one case, a worker at Chrysler’s Saltillo plant in Mexico, where Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks are assembled, experienced a complete loss of brake power while testing a vehicle. (The recall applies to all Ram truck models, not just Heavy Duty.)
A few weeks earlier, a worker at the Toledo North Assembly Plant, where the Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty are assembled, had noticed a malformed clip.
“The quality control systems in place caught the issue early,” Chrysler Group said in a statement. “All affected assembly plants held vehicle inventory and inspected for and replaced the clips as necessary.”
Owners of these vehicles can contact NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or Chrysler at 800-853-1403.
Tags: Avenger, Brakes, Chrysler, Chrysler Brake Recall, Chrysler Group, Dodge, Dodge Nitro, Grand Cherokee, Jeep, Jeep Commander, Jeep Liberty, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Ram trucks, recall, Sebring
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Toyota May Replace Accelerators in Recall
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Four million gas pedals potentially faulty
Toyota is still working on a solution to the issue of floor mats causing its accelerators to stick, causing that pesky “unintended acceleration” that can really put a damper on anyone’s drive. The automaker has been working closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association to come up with a permanent solution for the growing problem. Toyota recently published a statement saying that it would “take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat.”
Inside Line and Kyodo News are reporting that Toyota may be close to announcing that they will replace the gas pedals of the four million vehicles affected by the recall with shorter ones.
The fix would be provided by Toyota dealerships at no charge to the customer. Swapping out four million accelerator pedals could prove to be a pricey solution, but Toyota claims it has saved up to $5.6 billion dollars in its recall funds over the years for just such an occasion.
Have you or your drivers noticed acceleration problems with any Toyotas in your fleet?
Photo courtesy of mary2678 under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Inside Line, Kyodo News, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Toyota
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DOT Forms Safety Council
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
On Monday, the United States Department of Transportation held the first meeting of its newly created Safety Council. The council was formed in order to formally address safety issues that affect all 10 of the DOT’s operating administrations.
“Now is the time to identify and address the top safety issues that cut across our agencies,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “The council will take our commitment to safety, which is our highest priority, to the next level.”
LaHood says that prior to him taking office, many of the agencies within the DOT were pursuing the same safety initiatives without a formal process for sharing data, strategies, and best practices. He created the Safety Council to fill the role of broad leadership and to serve an organizational function to create a more strong and cohesive culture of safety within the department. The council’s goals are to further enhance the DOT’s focus on safety and to improve the effectiveness and impact of the department’s safety programs.
Chaired by Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari, the Safety Council is comprised of the heads of DOT’s 10 agencies: the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Maritime Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
Photo courtesy of DOTlibrary
Tags: DOT, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, FMCSA, FRA, FTA, Maritime Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Pipelin and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, United States Department of Transportation, USDOT
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