Tag Archives: fars

CAS Says GM Ignition Switch Airbag Failure Caused 303 Deaths

Posted on 14 March 2014 by Ken Zino

These explosive allegations from an organization that is funded by product liability lawyers is the latest negative development in the ongoing GM ignition switch controversy, which has seen GM first deny a safety defect existed, and then issue a recall, as well as an apology, and then expand the recall to cover more cars. Continue reading →

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Highway Deaths at Lowest Level in 60 years

Posted on 6 January 2013 by Ken Zino

“Even as we celebrate the progress we’ve made in recent years, we must remain focused on addressing the safety issues that are continuing to claim more than 30,000 lives each year,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, whose agency apparently did not eliminate any regulations during 2012 is spite of plunging highway deaths. Continue reading →

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Less Expensive Chevrolet Cruze Airbag Earns 5 Stars from NHTSA

Posted on 18 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The 2013 Chevrolet Cruze using a groundbreaking single inflator airbag has been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a maximum 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score. The development is potentially significant for car buyers because the 2013 Cruze model switched to a less expensive, more compact and lighter airbag design from Takata. Continue reading →

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U.S. Auto Fatalities Drop to Lowest level in More than 60 Years

Posted on 8 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA – today released 2010 fatality and injury data showing highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level for auto fatalities since 1949. What was termed a record-breaking decline in traffic deaths occurred as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2009. Continue reading →

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General Motors to Debut World’s First Center Airbag in 2013

Posted on 29 September 2011 by Ken Zino

A GM analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System database (FARS) found that far-side impact crashes accounted for 11% of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover impacts between 2004 and 2009. Also implied in the data GM looked at is that much more work remains to be done on interior design, including seat belts that don’t hold an occupant laterally, the now ubiquitous center consoles that are causing serious and fatal injuries, and the seat itself, which allows deadly movement. With intense engineering, some of these problems could be dealt with by passive solutions, which could be far less expensive than adding another airbag to every new vehicle. Continue reading →

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Truck Underride Guards Fail in Crashes so IIHS Wants New Rule

Posted on 20 April 2011 by Ken Zino

In 2009, 70% of the 3,163 people who died in all large truck crashes were occupants of cars or other passenger vehicles. Underride crashes makes death or serious injury more likely since the upper part of the passenger vehicle’s occupant compartment typically crushes as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle safety cage. Continue reading →

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