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.

Federal government investigating steering problem on GM vehicles WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government is investigating a possible steering defect that could affect 714,000 General Motors Corp. vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it has received 357 complaints that the steering in the vehicles locked up or lost power. In some cases, the vehicles became difficult to steer while making left turns. The vehicles involved were built between Jan. 1, 1996, and Oct. 31, 1997, NHTSA said. They are: the 1996-98 Buick Regal; the 1997-98 Buick Century; the 1996-98 Chevrolet Lumina and Monte Carlo; the 1996-97 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme; and the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. GM spokesman Jim Schell said the company is cooperating with the investigation. NHTSA's vehicle investigations can lead to a recall. Read the full article

Vehicles perform well in new frontal crash tests WASHINGTON (AP) -- All seven cars and minivans that were put through frontal crash tests got the highest rating by the insurance industry, including makes that did poorly when earlier models were tested. The 2003 models of the midsize Mazda 6, Infiniti G35 and Saab 9-3 and the larger Lincoln Town Car and Mercedes E Class earned a "good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Two 2004 minivans, the Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest, also earned "good" ratings. In the test, a vehicle going 40 mph (64 kph) is crashed at an angle into a barrier. A "good" rating means a driver wearing a seat belt probably could walk away from a similar crash with minor injuries. The Sienna did slightly better than the Quest, Insurance Institute President Brian O'Neill said. In the Quest, the crash dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the air bag. Still, the Quest performed much better than its 1999 predecessor, which earned a "poor," the lowest rating. Read the full article

Injury Sciences' Launches Comprehensive Automobile Black Box Solution for Insurers ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2003--Injury Sciences LLC announced today at the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) annual convention that it has launched an end-to-end automobile black box solution for insurers. "Insurers recognize significant benefits when they are able to quickly, accurately and cost effectively assess liability issues and injury causation issues present in automobile claims," stated Scott Palmer, CEO and President of Injury Sciences. "Automobile black box data is now increasingly available as an impartial witness which helps insurers accomplish these goals and recognize the related benefits." The automobile event data recorder, or black box, is present on many makes and models of vehicles on the road today. When an automobile in a collision is equipped with one of these devices, an insurer can retrieve, or harvest, many relevant pieces of information to assist in evaluating liability, impact severity and injury potential. Read the full article

Return to September 2003 Newsletter