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In The News

Every day the ARC Network updates the web site with valuable, important industry news. Following are a few articles from last month.

 

Consumer Reports -CR- Says Government Should Expand and Improve its Crash-Testing Program CR Says Consumers Need Even Better Crash-Protection Information HOW CONSUMERS REPORTS (CR) TESTS CARS: YONKERS, N.Y.--(AutomotiveWire)--March 12, 2002-- -- CR maintains its IMPARTIALITY by buying all the cars it tests from dealers, just as consumers do, accepting no ads, and barring the commercial use of its reports. CR automotive EXPERTS test all cars at our track and on public roads, for performance, convenience, and comfort, with safety in mind. CR surveys its subscribers to provide RELEVANT information on auto reliability, dealer satisfaction, and more. CR is published by Consumers Union, an INDEPENDENT, NON-PROFIT champion for consumers. Crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have had a dramatic impact on improving vehicle safety. However, it is time for the government to set new safety benchmarks and expand its crash-testing program. Read the full article

Edwards Law Firm Urges Chrysler Owners to Report Safety Belt Unlatching Incidents in Wake of ABC Report and Testing Lab's Finding of Failure '100%' Of the Time CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The following press release is being issued by The Edwards Law Firm, L.L.P.: Yvonne Moran and her attorney, Billy Edwards of The Edwards Law Firm, L.L.P., Corpus Christi, today urged Chrysler vehicle owners to report incidents or file complaints with government and consumer agencies in the wake of Thursday's national news disclosure that Chrysler's Gen3 seat belt buckle failed 100% of the time in an independent testing lab's analysis of the buckle's tendency to unlatch during car crashes. A web site established to capture incident reports about the Gen3 revealed that at least one-third of the reports were from parents complaining that the buckle unlatched around the seat belt securing their child or infant car seat. ABC's news magazine, PrimeTime, on Thursday aired an investigative report that as many as 14 million Chrysler vehicles -- including all minivans produced since 1994 -- are equipped with Gen3 seat belt buckles that repeatedly fail standard industry tests for safety. The report centered on the death of a Corpus Christi man, Bart Moran, who was killed in a low-speed collision in December 1996 while driving the family's new 1997 Dodge Caravan. In 2000, a jury determined that Moran's seat belt, a Gen3, had unlatched during the crash, was ``defective as designed'' and was ``99% responsible'' for his death. Read the full article

Passive Pedestrian Protection Topic of Discussion at SAE 2002 World Congress WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, several thousands of unprotected pedestrians are killed in car accidents. Can vehicles be designed and manufactured to help minimize the damage inflected on innocent bystanders when a vehicle loses control? Automotive engineers at Concept Technologie GmbH, Austria, say ``yes,'' and will share their research during the SAE 2002 World Congress, March 4 - 7, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA. ``In the European Union,'' says Martin Krenn, Head of Project Management at Concept Technologie, ``about 40,000 people perish in accidents involving automobiles. More than 6,000 of these accidents kill pedestrians. ``In the United States in the year 2000, about 40,000 people died in auto-related accidents and almost 5,000 of these fatalities were pedestrians. Pedestrian deaths can be reduced by means of passive pedestrian protection.'' Passive Pedestrian Protection can be defined as measures on a vehicle which provide more safety for pedestrians in case of an accident. These measures can vary, such as deformation materials in the bonnet area and front-end structure or ``pedestrian friendly'' front geometries or even outside airbags to protect the weakest form of road users. Read the full article

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