News for the ‘automobile accident’ Category

Car crash injuries cost $99 billion-plus per year in U.S.

car wreckA study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found the annual cost of medical care and productivity losses associated with motor vehicle crash injuries exceeds $99 billion per year in the United States, with direct medical care accounting for $17 billion. Despite great improvements in traffic in recent years, the costs related to traffic accidents amount to about $500 per licensed driver in the U.S.

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NHTSA investigating reports of sudden acceleration in Ford and Mercury cars

2010 Fusion SportThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating new reports of sudden unintended acceleration in three separate incidents, but not in Toyota vehicles. This time, the complaints involve acceleration incidents that have occurred in the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.

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Texas jury awards family $1.8 million in Hyundai seat design lawsuit

tucson seatsA Texas jury awarded the family of a 19-year-old woman $1.8 million after finding a defective seat design contributed to her death in a July 2007 traffic accident.

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Wyoming the latest state to crack down on distracted drivers

wyoming 100x100Wyoming has become the 20th state to ban texting while driving, surprising many opponents given the state’s traditional reluctance to impose restrictions on drivers. Under the new law, which takes effect on July 1 of this year, drivers caught texting behind the wheel will receive a $75.00 fine.

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Traffic fatalities fall for fourth consecutive year

dot 100x100At a time when the news is full of reports of cars accelerating out of control and crashing, drivers texting behind the wheel and car roofs crushed in deadly rollovers, here’s some welcome news: the number of people killed in U.S. traffic accidents is the lowest since 1954.

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NHTSA wants more states to ban texting while driving

nhtsa logoThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed a legal template that will help states develop legislation banning the act of texting behind the wheel. The sample law is modeled after the Executive Order issued by President Obama in October of last year that prohibited federal employees from texting while driving.

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18-wheeler causes multi-vehicle pile-up in Virginia

truck 100x100The operator of an 18-wheel semi truck has been cited for reckless driving after causing a multi-vehicle traffic accident in Virginia on Monday. According to authorities in Carroll County, Virginia, 46-year-old Marco Tulio Carta Jena of Morgantown, North Carolina, crashed his rig into other vehicles that had become backed up along I-77 as another accident further up the interstate was being cleared. Investigators say that the driver was not paying attention to the road when he collided with the other vehicles.

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Apple co-founder Wozniak and others find trouble with Prius

toyota logoMany Toyota Prius owners continue to experience sporadic episodes of sudden, unintended acceleration while driving their cars, even without floor mats jamming the throttle wide open or the gas pedal sticking. Toyota included all 2004-2009 Prius models in the floor mat entrapment it announced last fall, but did not include the Prius in its subsequent of Toyotas for sticking accelerator pedals.

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Transportation secretary says people should stop driving recalled Toyotas

ray lahoodToyota’s recent of 2.3 million cars and sport utility vehicles over “sticking” accelerator pedals follows a larger last October of 4.2 million vehicles for possible floor mat entrapment. The recalls have created an undercurrent of fear of confusion among Toyota owners, many of whom no longer feel their cars are safe to drive.

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Toyota pedal manufacturer says its products not to blame

toyota logoToyota has found itself in a rather sticky situation. With more than eight million cars and trucks worldwide falling under a massive due to sudden unintended acceleration, the Japanese carmaker is looking for some sort of solution to pacify a growing anxious consumer base. Last fall, it blamed floor mats for the problem. Last month, Toyota announced the problem also fell on the vehicles’ gas pedals.

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