Dubious Record for Highway Safety Agency in Public Information Lawsuits
When sued for withholding records, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has fared poorly in court.
Consumer Protection
Tag: Gadgets and Distracted Driving
Consumer Protection
Apple Has Swatted Away Distracted Driving Lawsuits Without Much Trouble So Far
Garrett Wilhelm was chatting with the Facetime app on his Apple iPhone, police say, as he sped along an interstate highway northwest of Dallas on the day before Christmas in 2014. He crashed his SUV into a sedan carrying a young family, killing five-year-old Moriah Modisette and injuring her parents [...]
Warning Wire
Long-Running Government Study Finds Cellphone Radiation Causes Cancer in Rats
Despite federal assurance that the research doesn't apply to people, critics say the results raise health concerns for children and others.
Consumer Protection
Safety Would Take a Back Seat if Senate Passes Bill on Driverless Cars, Critics Say
Consumer advocates are attacking a bill heading for a vote soon in the U.S. Senate that would clear legal obstacles for the deployment of driverless cars.
Transportation Safety
Study Finds Apple’s CarPlay, Google’s Android Less Distracting, But Still Not Safe
Automakers have packed many of their new models with distracting infotainment features that allow drivers not only to play music and get directions, but to talk, text and use social media while tooling down the road. Now new research has found that two popular smartphone-based systems --Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android [...]
Consumer Protection
Federal Trade Commission Warns Six Companies About Product Warranties
Six manufacturers of products including computers, cellphones, video game gear and autos have been told by federal regulators to change the language in their warranties or possibly face charges of “unfair or deceptive acts.” The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters three weeks ago to the six companies -- Sony, [...]
Public Health
Researcher Says Auto Safety Measures Prevented Millions of Deaths
(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) Traffic safety measures ranging from seat belt and drunk driving enforcement to design standards for cars and trucks "averted a public health disaster" by preventing about 5.8 million deaths in the U.S. from 1968 through 2015, according to a new study. The analysis [...]
Public Health
Use of Smartphones and Recreational Marijuana Cited in Rising Pedestrian Deaths
(iStock photo) The increasing use of smartphones and recreational marijuana may be contributing to a surge in the numbers of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes, according to a new analysis. The report by the Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that pedestrian fatalities totaled about 6,000 in 2017, roughly [...]
Consumer Protection
What Happens When a Driver Kills Someone While Fiddling With A Cellphone? Often, Not Much
The victims include a Bible college student in Iowa who was bicycling home from work, a 13-year-old Michigan boy riding in his older sister’s car and a Minnesota school bus driver picking up the morning newspaper in front of his home. All were killed in recent years by distracted drivers [...]
Public Health
California and 5 Other States Get Best Ratings for Highway Safety Laws
Amid a resurgence in U.S. traffic fatalities now taking roughly 100 lives a day, an advocacy group today issued a report card identifying states that do the most, and least, to improve highway safety.