National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -

Beginning in August of this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will conduct a yearlong experiment to determine whether cars that communicate with one another on the road are the key to a safer future for motorists. The experiment, taking place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will test the road behavior of an estimated 2,800 vehicles, including passenger cars, buses, and trucks equipped with high tech communication devices designed to provide early warnings for imminent obstacles on the road such as sudden stops or vehicles present in a driver’s blind spot. A cooperative effort with the University of Michigan, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s experiment involves the installation of electronic equipment in the cars of volunteers as well as public transportation vehicles such as buses. Special demonstrations of the equipment administered by Department of Transportation employees were met with excitement by members of the general public according to a statement issued by the administration. According to Department of Transportation statistics, these inter-vehicle communication devices could effectively prevent accidents in approximately 8 out of 10 scenarios leading to a traffic collision, in cases where the driver’s ability is not hindered by drugs or alcohol. The advanced technological safety features being tested in this experiment combine data retrieved from global positioning satellites with a Wi-Fi like wireless communication system that allows nearby cars to communicate information pertaining to upcoming road hazards.

Michelin North America Incorporated, at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has issued a voluntary recall for more than 77,000 bus tires distributed under three different model numbers. The tires affected by this recall were manufactured at a plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina between 2005 and 2011. This recall has been issued in response to several reports from lease fleet consumers of Michelin bus tires that complained of the tires losing air quickly within the past two years.  The tires are potentially defective, equipped with sidewalls that degrade rapidly under routine wear and tear. The defect may increase the risk of an unexpected blowout that could lead to a loss of vehicle control. Sudden loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of becoming involved in a collision that could result in injury or death. Tires affected by this recall are Michelin bus tires bearing model numbers XZU2, XZU3, and XM505. Michelin North America Incorporated is scheduled to begin informing affected owners of this recall soon. Consumers seeking more information about this recall can contact the Michelin compant directly, or call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Recall Hotline.

As a car accident attorney in San Jose, I hope these potentially defective tires are recalled before anyone is injured by them. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident linked t defective auto parts, please consider contacting a San Jose personal injury lawyer.

Within the next ten to twenty years, some transportation experts speculate, vehicles will be able to communicate with one another to avoid accidents and traffic congestion. This automotive innovation may happen even sooner, if the federal government begins to mandate the development of the technology. Electronic features allowing vehicles to communicate their speed and location information to one another will make the roadways safer, experts advise.

Data provided by the Texas Transportation Institute suggests that the number of highway injuries and fatalities could be divided in half by reducing the number of rear-end collisions, which account for half of the 6 million accidents that occur in the United States. These communication devices would be equipped with short-range transmitters capable of transmitting signals that can notify vehicles of  impending situations which the vehicle could take steps to avoid automatically.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is currently testing this technology on 3,000 vehicles in Michigan, this technology could potentially change the outcomes of four out of five or eighty percent of the traffic collisions in the United States.

As a San Bernardino personal injury attorney, I am hopeful that technological advances will make the roadways safer for all motorists in the future. If you or someone you care for has been involved in a car accident, please consider discussing your options with a San Bernardino car accident attorney.

After receiving eight complaints of fires igniting inside the engine bay, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation of Jeep Wranglers from model year 2010.

All but one of the 2010 Jeep Wranglers were running when the fires ignited, according to the reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating in August of 2009 after three Wrangler owners complained of their vehicles catching fire. In February of 2010, Chrysler issued a voluntary recall for the four-speed automatic model Wrangler due to overheated transmission fluid that might leak onto hot surfaces and potentially ignite. The risk was increased by using the vehicle for demanding off-road driving. In 2012 Jeep replaced the four-speed automatic with a five-speed transmission.

A fluid of unknown origin began burning toward the ground from the engine bay, noted one consumer report. Attempts were made to use water to extinguish the fire, but the Jeep was rapidly engulfed in flames. According to a Chrysler spokesperson, the causes for vehicle fire can be difficult to determine. Possible reasons for a vehicle fire include poor maintenance, using a vehicle improperly or customizing a vehicle with after-market accessories.

As a San Jose car accident attorney, I certainly hope the cause of these fires is determined before anyone is hurt. If you or someone close to you has been harmed in an accident involving a defective vehicle, please consider contacting a San Francisco car accident lawyer.

After receiving at least two complaints that the Chevrolet Cruze has caught fire while in motion, the National Highway Transportation  Safety Administration has launched an investigation of the  vehicle, the bestselling passenger vehicle in the General Motor’s line. GM reports receiving at least 19 warranty claims related to the Cruze catching fire,  and the automaker has launched its own investigation to determine the cause.

In one incident reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the driver pulled over after smelling smoke.  Flames began to appear, and a warning light came on . The car was fully engulfed within a period of five minutes. The other complaint involved a driver waiting at an intersection when the woman in the car one lane over began to warn the driver that the Cruze had caught fire. This automobile, too, quickly became enveloped in flames.  

Seven out of eight of the complaints received by the HTSA involve the vehicle catching fire while in motion. In one case, the driver has the car idling in park when someone warned him that car was producing flames.

As a licensed Riverside car accident lawyer, I hope this potentially dangerous situation is resolved before anyone is hurt. If you or someone you love has been negatively affected by a defective or malfunctioning automobile, please consider hiring a highly skilled San Bernardino car accident lawyer.

 4-Star Trailers Incorporated has announced a voluntary recall of specific models of its horse trailer due to a possible brake malfunction. The models affected by the recall are: the 4-Horse L.Q., the4-Horse Bumper Pull, and the Polo Trailer. The electric/hydraulic brake actuator pumps on these trailers have the potential for premature wear and tear because some of these specific models might not have been adequately heat treated prior to their release. This problem can possibly cause the actuator pump to malfunction. The trailer’s brakes are powered by the electric/hydraulic brake actuator pumps, so the pump’s malfunction could cause the trailer’s brakes to fail, increasing the potential for a collision.

 Owners of horse trailer models can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline or visit the administration’s website for more information. 4-Star Trailers will begin informing consumers of the recall. Owners should return the trailers to the authorized 4-Star dealer, where the problem will corrected at no cost to the consumer.

As a licensed Riverside car accident attorney,  I sincerely hope that this recall is carried out in time to prevent any damage these potentially malfunctioning auto parts might cause, but unfortunately not every vehicle recall is carried out before serious harm is incurred. If you or someone you love or care about has been injured by a defective vehicle, please consider contacting a qualified Riverside personal injury lawyer.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 5,000 people were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers in the U.S. in 2009, and 995 of those were directly linked to a motorist using a cellphone while driving. Several states have passed laws attempting to stop drivers from using their cellphones, and government agencies such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have begun fining their employees for the practice.

In an effort to further discourage cellphone use behind the wheel, Cellcontrol has introduced software for the Blackberry and Android  smart phones that will enforce an employer’s cellphone policy for company owned vehicles.

In order for Cellcontrol to work, a trigger device must be installed in the vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostics Port beneath the dashboard, adjacent to the steering wheel. The port is typically used by mechanics running performance tests on the vehicle. The On-Board Diagnostics Port became mandatory on vehicles in 1996, so cars manufactured before this year might not be compatible with the program. Cellcontrol software can be customized to allow hands-free cellphone use or to allow or disallow calls from certain phone numbers while the vehicle is in use.

As a Riverside car accident lawyer, I have seen the problems drivers can cause when they quit paying attention to the road ahead. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, please consider contacting a Riverside personal injury lawyer.

Safety experts agree. Any time a state’s motorcycle helmet laws are taken off the books, the number of motorcycle-collision traffic fatalities and incidences of brain damage increases. The Brain Injury Association of America reports that head injuries are one of the main causes of motorcycle-related deaths. When helmets are worn, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of brain injuries caused by motorcycle accidents is reduced by 67 percent. The number of fatalities drops by 37 percent. Helmets prevented the deaths of an estimated 1,483 motorcyclists in 2009.

The variety of innovative helmet designs on the market today can be confusing, but shopping guidelines released by the NHTSA should help. Find a helmet that fits securely but comfortably and is marked by a Department of Transportation safety-compliance label. Your helmet should feature an inch-thick rigid interior lining with firmly secured straps. New designs featuring higher visibility, greater shock absorption, enhanced cushioning systems, sleek and aerodynamic constructions, and even wireless connectivity are available now , but finding the safety-standard-compliant helmet that fits you comfortably is most important. The only way the helmet can protect your brain is if you actually wear it.

As a highly qualified Fresno car accident attorney, I am very hopeful that motorcycle helmets will continue to reduce the number of traffic fatalities as technology improves. If you or a loved one has sustained brain damage or other types of injuries in an accident, please consider seeking legal counsel from a Fresno personal injury attorney.

It’s not often than an automobile safety issue can become a political talking point in the battle between Democrats and Republicans, but here we are.

Republicans have recently taken to questioning the government under the Obama administration over whether or not they have a conflict of interest in investigating battery fires in General Motors’s Chevy Volt.  The government, you see, owns 26.5% of the company’s shares.

For their part, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that they did not give the company a free pass.

The argument stems from an incident in June in which a test car caught fire weeks after a side-impact test.  Two other safety tests also created fires.  An investigation was launched on November 25, and last week, the government stated that the electric Volt did not pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-fueled counterparts.  Republicans are condemning the delay between the initial fire and the investigation announcement, a delay they say was used to broker new mileage standards.

As a car accident attorney in Fresno, I hate to see matters of safety being used as a tool for a political cause.  I like to think that safety is paramount to anyone in a position of power, and I hope that societal welfare is never put at risk for the sake of politics.  I’m a Fresno car accident lawyer, and I think those in power need to learn to put politics aside to further the common good.

Unintended acceleration of Toyotas has been a hot-button topic for some time now, and one group thinks that investigators haven’t done enough in looking into the issue.

Safety and Research Strategies has filed a freedom-of-information lawsuit against the federal government, alleging that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was withholding videos and documents that indicate electronic systems in the Toyota Prius were responsible for the unintended acceleration.  The Prius was not included in the list of car models affected by the unintended acceleration.

Even though federal regulators have gone on record as saying they’ve found no evidence that faulty electronics have been to blame for unintended acceleration, this hasn’t quelled the suspicions of many Toyota owners.  Many still believe that electronics are to blame, despite the fact that investigators sided with Toyota when they concluded that sticky accelerators and faulty floor mats.

Unintended acceleration is a topic that I, as a San Jose car accident lawyer, have reported on before.  Even though an intensive study was conducted, it would appear that the issue in front of us is far from over.  People are passionate about getting to the truth of the matter, and as a car accident attorney in San Jose, I know quite well how impassioned a person can become when it comes to keeping their family safe.