Recently in Automotive Category

Jurors in the trial of Joanna L. Seibert heard from Dr. Sheila Klauer, a research scientist at Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute who conducted a study on distracted driving.  Siebert was found guilty this week of homicide by vehicle and tampering with evidence in the death of Officer David Tome.  Seibert fatally struck Tome, 31, the morning of Oct. 21, 2008, as Tome was standing on  Route 15 in Franklin Township placing safety cones in preparation to investigate a previous fatal crash.  Seibert was going 69 mph in a 55 mph zone, applying makeup and using her cell phone when she failed to notice orange traffic cones closing the right southbound lane of Route 15.

Her Saturn VUE hit several cones, then fatally struck Tome. Seibert deleted the usage history on her Apple iPhone the day after the crash, which was the basis of the evidence-tampering charge.  Chief deputy prosecutor Tim Barker told the judge that Seibert's driving record "is quite extensive" and includes two traffic citations since the fatal crash. Court records reveal that since 2000, Seibert pleaded guilty to, or was found guilty of, six traffic offenses including tailgating, careless driving and speeding.

Read more: yorkdispatch.com.

Sean Kane, founder of the Safety Research & Strategies Inc, will testify this week in a congressional probe of safety issues at Toyota Motor Corp.  Kane has been called as a consumer products safety expert witness for a hearing into the Toyota issues by the the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms.  Kane said on Sunday that the automaker had skirted a full investigation of unintended acceleration in its vehicles and faced a risk of growing recalls. 

"I suspect that we are going to see a series of recalls appear over a period of time here, certainly over the next year, and they are going to address varying issues and varying vehicles," said Kane, founder of a consumer safety group.

For more, see Yahoo News.

After five years of litigation including the testimony of hydrology expert witnesses, finality may be in sight for three Camp Verde, AZ, area families battling Salt River Project over wells on their property.  In 2004, SRP filed suit against 11 Verde Valley water users for pumping well water they believe to be surface water, belonging to downstream water users.  Eight of the parties reached settlements with the Phoenix area water provider.

But three, the Kovacovich, Wiertezema and Jordan families, have fought on, arguing that what constitutes surface water and what constitutes groundwater should be determined as part of the statewide settlement of water rights and not as individual cases.  Last April, during a summary judgment hearing, in which all three asked Judge Eddward Ballinger to have their cases dismissed, the judge found probable cause to dismiss two of the cases, the Kovacovich's and the Wiertezema's.  However, he delayed final dismissal pending additional information.

Excerpted from verdenews.com.

Automotive experts at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2007, 54 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic accidents were not wearing seat belts. Now cash-strapped states want to give law enforcement officers the authority to pull over motorists just for not wearing their seat belts.  More than a dozen states that are considering making the switch to primary seat-belt enforcement laws need to do so before July to be eligible for millions in federal money.

One of those states is Ohio, which would get $26.8 million if it changes its law. Currently, officers in the state must first have some other reason to stop drivers over before issuing seat-belt citations.  Congress adopted the federal incentive program in the 2005 federal transportation bill as a way to encourage states to adopt the primary enforcement law. The goal was to save lives, reduce insurance costs, and cut medical bills.

For more, please see WashintonPost.com.

Accidents and safety experts report that Colorado has seen a drop in roadway fatalities for 2008.  The number of people killed is down 2% from 2007 when the state reported 554 deaths on the state's roads.  County Sheriff Jim Alderden said law enforcement is aggressively enforcing the state’s drunk and drugged-driving laws.  According to Colorado Department of Public Safety statistics, crashes involving alcohol and drugs have twice the number of injuries and deaths as crashes where alcohol and drugs are not involved. “I’m convinced in my own mind that aggressive DUI enforcement saves lives,” Alderden said.

Alderden says drivers can help increase their safety by obeying speed limits and stopping at stop signs, but drunken or speeding drivers pose a danger that even the most cautious driver might not be able to avoid.

 

Research experts recently surveyed drivers and found they are not prepared for winter weather driving. Of the more than 5,000 licensed drivers surveyed across the nation, GMAC Insurance found several startling facts about driver competency during frozen or snowy conditions:

• 46 percent were unaware their gas tanks should be at least half full in order to continue providing heat in case of an emergency
• 38 percent didn't know driving while using cruise control, even in clear conditions, could be dangerous
• 24 percent did not know to turn the wheel in the direction of a skid

One of the most significant misconceptions revealed in the survey was in regard to vehicles equipped with four-wheel drive. While four-wheel drive helps with traction in snow and ice, it does not replace good driving practices and taking the correct precautions to stay safe.

Chrysler Motors prevailed Friday in a Washington County, Arkansas, product liability lawsuit.  Jurors heard from seven experts and found driver Linda Childers Knapp liable for $342,000 in damages.  She was talking on her cell phone while driving a 2004 Jeep Cherokee when she caused the accident. Victims one-year-old Silas and 4-year-old Eve Adams suffered fractured skulls caused by the skulls of their parents going backward and smashing into the front of the children's heads.  Knapp had tried to blame the injuries on faulty seat design of the Adam's 1994 Dodge Caravan during the accident on Sept. 25, 2005. According to witnesses, the Adams were all wearing seat belts.

USA Today advises consumers to be skeptical when buying a low mileage used car.

A NHTSA study six years ago estimated that tampered odometers can be found on 450,000 cars a year, costing consumers $1 billion annually.  "It's one of the leading property crimes in the country, and it costs consumers billions," says Rosemary Shahan, founder of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety in Sacramento. 

Used car buyers can protect themselves by checking odometer readings against the online records of auto database services, says the auto expert. Carfax provides the service free at www.carfax.com/odo.

Also useful precautions: Look for oil change reminder stickers with mileage that may have been left on the car, and have a mechanic inspect it before buying to look for discrepancies between wear and indicated mileage.