Hurricane Katrina damaged over 500,000 vehicles, and many of these could be fraudulently sold to unsuspecting consumers by criminals who abuse states' disorganized vehicle documentation laws. Read More »
Safety
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Public Citizen and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Seek Public Access To “Smoking Gun” Documents
On December 1, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (TLPJ), representing Public Citizen, filed a legal challenge to a Florida court order sealing crucial exhibits from a rollover case decided last spring over fatal injuries caused by the popular Ford Explorer SUV. Read More »
Weakened Hours Of Service Rule Puts Truck Drivers And Passenger Vehicle Occupants In Danger
On October 1, 2005, a revised but still dangerous trucking hours-of-service rule went into effect, placing in harm's way truck drivers and passenger vehicle occupants on the highways. Read More »
Appeals Court Excoriates FMCSA For Inadequate Truck And Bus Driver Training Rule
A federal rule establishing training requirements for truck and bus drivers is "so at odds" with safety information assembled by the government that it should be thrown out and redone, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on December 2, 2005. Read More »
Truck Crash Survivors And Families Share Their Stories With Congres The 2005 “Sorrow To Strength” Conference A Success
In October 2005, the Truck Safety Coalition, in partnership with Public Citizen, held the 2005 Sorrow to Strength Conference. Survivors of truck crashes and family members of victims of truck crashes met with representatives and senators. Read More »
Tragedy In Utah Illustrates Dangers Of 15-Passenger Vans
On September 26, 2005, a 15-passenger van carrying college students from Utah State University tragically crashed into a ravine, killing nine of the passengers. Despite their numerous dangers, 15-passenger vans are regularly filled to their full passenger capacity, and are routinely marketed to churches, schools, nursing homes, and day cares as safe forms of transportation. Read More »
Child Deaths Due To Non-Traffic Incidences Increase Dramatically
According to statistics complied by Kids and Cars, an advocacy group promoting child safety in and around vehicles, 213 documented child fatalities have occurred this year due to non-traffic incidences, a twenty nine percent increase since 2004. Read More »
Car Buyers Beware!
On November 21, 2005, Public Citizen submitted comments on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) proposed rulemaking on roof crush resistance asserting that the proposed roof crush rules are so grossly inadequate that 70 percent of existing vehicles will already meet them. Read More »
Former NHTSA Official Opposes Proposed Roof Crush Rule
Public Citizen is not alone in criticizing NHTSA's proposed roof crush rule. Kennerly Digges, a crashworthiness engineer and a former NHTSA official, has submitted comments condemning the proposal. Read More »
Compliance Improves Somewhat, But Not A Lot, When Police Step Up Enforcement Of Of N.C. Licensing Law
Graduated licensing laws in state after state are reducing crash rates among beginning drivers. Yet compliance with some provisions of these laws has lagged. For example, 32 states and the District of Columbia limit passengers in vehicles driven by teenagers with provisional licenses, but the beginners often don't heed this aspect of the law. Read More »
