200 lives a year would be saved if all pregnant women wore seatbelts

The myth that pregnant women should avoid wearing seatbelts because they may be unsafe for unborn children has been debunked by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan. The study found that about 200 unborn babies would be saved each year if expectant women properly buckled up every time they get in a car.

“It’s very clear, based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single time they’re in a vehicle,” says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D., vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U-M Health System. An estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes each year in the United States.

Read more about this important study on our Cars blog including tips for keeping expectant mothers safe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Evenflo recalls 1,038 more Discovery car seats

Evenflo Thursday recalled 1,038 of its Discovery infant car seats because some of the seats may have been shipped without complete assembly of the red release handle located on the back of the seat. Under certain circumstances, the seat may become separated from the base, possibly resulting in serious injury to the child.

On its Web site, Evenflo explains that that recall involves the "302Z" model seats manufactured on Feb. 4 of this year and sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores from March 11 to 21. The full model numbers are 3021769Z and 3021854Z and can be found on a sticker on the bottom of the seat (see photos).

Evenflo is notifying owners of the car seat who sent in the registration card. Further information can be obtained by visiting Evenflo's Web site safety.evenflo.com. Evenflo is advising caregivers:

• To contact Evenflo directly at 1-800-233-5921 for a free replacement Discovery seat and base.
• To continue to use the Discovery seat without the base while awaiting a replacement car seat.
• To not return the seat to their local retailer. The responsibility for this action rests solely with Evenflo.

In addition in February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall of one million Evenflo Discovery child safety seats because the seats could fail to adequately protect children in a side impact collision. The seats recalled were Models 390, 391, 534, and 552 manufactured between April 2005 and January 29, 2008.

And by the way, we heard about this recall after signing up for alerts about car seat and tire recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA offers tire and safety seat recall alerts

Hats off to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency has just made it easier for people to get important safety information about child seats and tires. Consumers can now sign up with NHTSA to receive automatic e-mail alerts when there’s a government recall of tires or safety seats.

Before introduction of the alert system, consumers had to rely on press reports or a notice from a manufacturer to learn about recalls and they only got the latter if they filled in and then mailed the registration card when buying a car seat or tire. Sadly, recall completion numbers indicate that this is usually not the case. Fewer than one-third of affected consumers respond to tire recalls, while less than half of affected consumers respond to child seat recalls. By contrast, 70 percent of vehicle recalls are completed, says NHTSA spokeswoman Elly Martin, because owners names are on record.

To sign up for the electronic recall notice, simply visit www.safercar.gov. You will be sent all tire and car seat recalls, but there are not so many that they will clutter your in-box—about 20 tire recalls and eight child restraint system recalls a year.

Safercar.gov has also added a feature to make it easier for consumers to register car seats directly with manufacturers. It’s a service we encourage all care-givers to use.

And in further good news, NHTSA’s Martin says the agency plans to extend the automatic e-mail notification service to passenger-car recalls in the future. Hear. Hear.

After motorcycle mishap, DOT secretary becomes a spokesperson for helmet safety

It's not just because of her job that Mary Peters, Secretary of Transportation, cares about motorcycle safety.

Peters is an avid motorcyclist herself and one who knows firsthand how important wearing a helmet can be. “My helmet prevented me from being a brain injury patient when I crashed my Harley two years ago,” says Peters who suffered a broken collar bone when she hit the pavement. That’s why she’s now pressing Congress to enact legislation to encourage more states to pass motorcycle helmet laws.

“I want states to be able to join in urging riders to take personal responsibility for their safety by wearing a helmet every time they ride,” said Peters who is prompting Congress to allow states to use federal motorcycle safety funding to promote the use of motorcycle helmets. Currently, states are limited to using that money for safety training and awareness programs only.

Peters notes that motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years to 4,810 in 2006. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists in 2006—and could have saved an additional 752 lives if all riders had worn helmets compliant with federal safety standards.

Although motorcycles account for only two percent of vehicles on the road, they make up more than 10 percent of all crashes. Part of the problem, says Peters, are aging baby boomers like her. “Many of them are going out and buying bikes—and wrecking them.” As a result, crashes among the 50-plus age group have gone up 400 percent in the last decade.

Those numbers help explain why Peters calls motorcycles “our nation’s greatest highway safety challenge”—and why DOT launched a new federal initiative last fall to improve rider education and training and to curb counterfeit helmets that provide less protection on the highways. Peters even starred in a public service announcement.

Unfortunately, in recent years, efforts to encourage all states to adopt laws requiring all riders to wear helmets have collided with a strong motorcycle rights lobby.

NHTSA improves grading system for child safety seats

How many times have we heard muttering, even cursing, from parents (including ourselves) as we try to install children’s safety seats in cars? Yes, we all know how important safety seats are. When properly used, child restraint systems reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. The key here is "when properly used." So why can’t manufacturers make them easier to install?

As Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters recently said, “even the safest car seat can’t protect a child if it isn’t installed correctly.”  And data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that 7 out of 10 child safety seats are either the wrong size or seriously misused.

Fortunately, NHTSA has just revised its rating method for child restraints with a new system to better grade child safety seats for ease of use. The revised NHTSA system awards up to five stars in four different categories:

1. The content and clarity of the labeling;
2. The content and clarity of the instructions;
3. The ease of securing the child;
4. The ease of installing the restraint system in the car.

There is also an overall rating, with five stars being the highest rating, one the lowest.

Previously NHTSA had rated child restraints for ease-of-use assigning letter grades of A (highest), B and C (lowest) but recognized that though the rating protocol had been successful in encouraging manufacturers to improve their designs, recent ratings resulted in most seats being given the highest A grade. For seats evaluated for 2007, for example, 81 percent received an A rating.  The revised rating system is designed to better differentiate among seats and give manufacturers further incentive to add easy-to-use features as well as to address features related to LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) installation.

Unlike the star ratings assigned to new vehicles for their performance in crash tests, this new rating system doesn’t measure how effective each child seat is in protecting a toddler or infant in a crash—although all child restraints sold in the U.S. are already required to comply with federal crash-protection standards.

Even so, the new ratings should provide another source that parents and caregivers can turn to when comparing how easy various seats are to use. For that, we applaud NHTSA's efforts.

Time to spring ahead and into action

Here's a reminder for those of us who may not be paying close attention: daylight-saving time starts this Sunday, March 9th, at 2 a.m. Even though the old adage tells us we are springing ahead, it's still winter and therefore understandable that this one-time rite of spring may have caught many of us by surprise. While you're getting used to the new routine—this is the second year the time has shifted three weeks early—it's a good time to take stock. When you're resetting your watches and clocks (don't forget the one in your car), use this annual event as a reminder to perform some tasks that will enhance your family's safety year-round.

Clockwork
In addition to your timepieces, reset the clocks on appliances and electronics. Some newer appliances and electronics are equipped with a microchip that automatically resets clock displays at the beginning and end of DST; many of those may still need to be reset manually, due to the change in schedule (and you may need to reset them again in three weeks, when they "think" they're supposed to reset themselves). To facilitate the process, make a list of all devices that you need to reset manually: clocks, TVs, DVD players, VCRs, fax machines, cameras and thermostats. (It's especially important to reprogram your thermostat so that the heat in your home switches on and off at the right time.) Reset everything on the list in one session so that no appliance or electronic is forgotten.

Smoke and CO alarms
Replace batteries in all smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. Always use fresh batteries, not those you "borrow" from other equipment. And follow manufacturer's instructions to ensure that these essential devices are working properly. Also, replace any smoke alarm that's 10 or more years old and any CO alarm five or more years old with a new model. You'll find the manufacture date on the alarm. See our report on carbon-monoxide alarms and our interactive on smoke alarms for more information.

On the road
Drive safely. Remember, an extra hour of light in the evening means dawn will break an hour later as well. So, if you have to get on the road before it gets light to take the kids to school or start your commute, be extra alert for children, animals and runners. I's also a good time to inspect vehicle lights. Take a look at the entire lighting system in your car to ensure that all lights are working properly. Clean the headlights and make sure they are correctly aligned according to the owner's manual.

In case of emergency
Update your family disaster plan. To respond properly to a natural disaster or other cataclysmic event, you need to have a plan in place and the necessary supplies on hand, and be prepared to act. See our free emergency guide to preparing for any storm or disaster. While you're making these preparations also check storage areas for any hazardous materials. Make sure to properly dispose of any materials that are outdated, no longer used, or in poor condition. Make sure those you keep are out of reach of kids or pets.

You can find some more information on preparing for daylight-saving time on our Home & Garden blog.

Combi USA recalls 67,000 infant car seats

Combi USA today announced that it is recalling 67,000 child safety seats because the seat can potentially become separated from its base and fail to adequately protect children in a frontal collision. The seats and travel systems being recalled are the Centre, Centre ARB, and Shuttle rear-facing infant seat models 8065, 8074, 8086, 8087, 8520 and the travel systems that contain these seat models 4400, 4515 and 4520.  The recall includes the entire production of these models from October 2005 through December 2007.

According to the manufacturer, the flaw was revealed in tests that it conducted recently with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada. Combi USA has received no reports of injuries to date regarding the recalled infant safety restraints.

Combi is offering owners of the seat a retrofit kit that can be ordered through its Web site (www.combi-intl.com) or by calling (800) 543-7734. The kit should arrive within 6-8 weeks. In the meantime, Combi recommends that owners use the seat without the base. Owners can refer to the instruction manual for how to install the seat without the base. The seats were designed for use with or without the base.

Consumers with questions about this or any other safety recall campaign may call NHTSA's toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline 888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov. For more information, see Consumer Reports car seat Ratings.

President Bush signs kids car safety act into law

Today the President signed into law the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, which requires the Department of Transportation to issue regulations related to  power window safety, rearward visibility and rollaway prevention. The signing comes two weeks after the Senate passed the measure; it was passed by the House late last year.

The bill was named after two-year-old Cameron, who was killed when he was inadvertently backed over by an SUV driven by his father because the blind zone behind the vehicle made it impossible to see the boy.

The new law addresses three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles: being struck by a backing vehicle with an unacceptable blind zone, getting caught in an automatically closing power window; and the ability to place a vehicle in gear without having to depress the brake, resulting in an uncontrolled rollaway.

The Gulbransens and at least 21 other families whose children were killed or seriously injured in non-traffic vehicle accidents threw their support behind passage of the bill as did a broad coalition that included Kids And Cars, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety, CFA, NCL, the Trauma  Foundation, and Consumers Union. We applaud the president's action.

Bill to protect kids in and around cars passed by Senate

The U.S. Senate gave parents and safety activists a valued Valentine's gift yesterday when it unanimously passed a car safety bill that will lead to the installation of safety features as standard equipment in all vehicles. The bill, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, was named after two-year-old Cameron, who was killed when he was inadvertently backed over by an SUV driven by his father because the blind zone behind the vehicle made it impossible to see the boy. The House passed this measure late last year. "We are deeply grateful for the support and dedication of the families and that both the House and Senate have now completed action on this important measure," said Ellen Bloom, Director of Federal Policy for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. "We hope the President will quickly sign it into law."

The bill addresses three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles: being struck by a backing vehicle with an unacceptable blind zone, getting caught in an automatically closing power window; and the ability to place a vehicle in gear without having to depress the brake, resulting in an uncontrolled rollaway. 

Specifically, the legislation directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue new safety standards within specific time periods that will lead to the installation of safety technologies as standard equipment in all vehicles to prevent deaths and injuries in non-traffic situations.  These safety features are already available as standard equipment, upgrades or optional equipment in many makes and models of vehicles.  The bill also requires the department to establish a database of non-crash incidents and develop a program to provide the public with safety information regarding non-traffic dangers to young children. 

The Gulbransens and at least 21 other families whose children were killed or seriously injured in non-traffic vehicle accidents threw their support behind passage of the bill. The children affected ranged in age from eight months to seven years. Most were killed in backover incidents. These families suffered the unimaginable yet worked hard to make the world a safer place for children in and around motor vehicles.

The action was successfully pushed through Congress by a broad coalition that included Kids And Cars, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety, CFA, NCL, the Trauma  Foundation, and Consumers Union.

“With today’s Senate passage, the Congress has spoken clearly—the safety of our children is a top priority," said Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Cars. We heartily agree.

Related video
See Consumer Reports interview with Dr. Greg Gulbransen.

Readers react to Hannah Montana seat belt flap—and so does Miley's family

We are overwhelmed by your response to our blog posting about Hannah Montana, the alter ego of Miley Cyrus, and want to thank everyone who contributed to the broad range of comments we received. It seems that our attempt to raise awareness about the importance of rear seat belts has raised the ire of many Hannah Montana fans. 

First, we want to make it clear that we are not anti-Hannah. In fact, some of us are big fans—and more important, my two daughters would not speak to me if they thought we were unfairly criticizing their idol. It's precisely because we understand the positive impact that someone like Hannah Montana can have that we are emphasizing the importance of such role models promoting safety. As an organization that tries to help consumers understand and manage their risks we consider it our responsibility.

And this isn't the first time we've taken public figures to task on this issue.  Last year, we pointed out that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine wasn't wearing a seat belt when he was severely injured in an accident. Corzine later made a public service announcement promoting seat belt use.

Many of you felt that we were making a big deal out of a movie.  But the reality is that movies and television shows do influence how kids, and adults, act in everyday life. Producers, directors and actors can influence public behavior through their movies and television shows—and they can make a difference. Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley's celebrity father, so much as acknowledged that today when he issued an apology published on People Online.  "We got caught up in the moment of filming, and we made a mistake and forgot to buckle our seat belts," Cyrus told People. "Seatbelt safety is extremely important." We applaud the Cyrus family for being proactive and for recognizing that wearing seat belts in rear seats is essential.

We are concerned that some comments on our blog promote a misconception that rear seat passengers don’t need safety belts. Simply put, not wearing seat belts while riding in the rear seat of a vehicle is dangerous. According to 2006 data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 58.2 percent of all rear seat fatalities involved passengers who were not wearing seat belts, compared to 32.7 percent of fatalities for rear seat passengers who were wearing seat belts. Failing to buckle up is dangerous not only to the rear seat passengers, but to other passengers in the vehicle. Unbelted passengers in a rear seat can become projectiles in a crash, potentially striking and killing front seat passengers.

In the U.S., many states have laws requiring seat belt use for all passengers.  Penalties can be as high as $200 or points on your license.

If you plan to see the Hannah Montana movie, we hope that when you get in your car to drive to the theater you take the suggestion of some of your fellow readers and take advantage of that "teaching moment" to make sure you and everyone in your vehicle is buckled up.  And then go enjoy the movie like I did with my daughters. —Don Mays

More on back seat belting
Seat belt use is an issue in other countries as well. To underscore the dangers of not wearing rear seat belts, the United Kingdom has produced a public service spot, originally broadcast in prime time, that we want to share with you.  But be forewarned before you click on this link that the material in the video is very graphic and disturbing.

Note to Hannah Montana: Seat belts are necessary not an accessory

Many parents would agree that 15-year-old superstar Hannah Montana, a.k.a. Miley Cyrus, is a good role model for kids.  But a gaffe in her Disney blockbuster 3-D movie, "Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" might challenge that opinion. 

Why?  One scene in the movie shows Miley and her dad, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, riding in the back seat of a Range Rover on the way to rehearsal for the concert tour.  Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Why should we care?  Because, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in about 55 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities in 2006 (the latest data available), the occupants were not wearing seat belts.  Even worse, in the 13- to 15-year-old age group, that percentage climbs to 65 percent.  Unfortunately, we’re not surprised by these grim statistics because a 2002 survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that when parents were dropping teens off at school in the morning, nearly half the teens weren’t using seat belts.

It seems to us that Miley, her father, and Disney had a perfect opportunity to help influence teens and counteract—rather than encourage—this trend.  Then again, as Hannah herself sings, "Everybody makes mistakes."  Maybe Hannah, Billy and Disney, will take a tip from the rest of Hannah’s song and get it right next time around: "Nobody's Perfect! I gotta work it! Again and again 'til I get it right. Nobody's Perfect!"

Update
Miley's dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, says "we made a mistake" and agrees that seat belt use is "important." Read the full story.

Evenflo recalls one million Discovery car seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that approximately 1 million Evenflo Discovery child safety seats are being recalled because the seats could fail to adequately protect children in a high-impact side collision. The seats being recalled are Models 390, 391, 534, and 552 manufactured between April 2005 and January 29, 2008. The model numbers and date of manufacture are located on a white label at the bottom of the car seat.

“Consumer Reports has long had concerns about the safety of children in side-impact collisions,” says David Champion, senior director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports. “We’re pleased to see NHTSA addressing the issue."

The Discovery car seat is designed with a convenience base that attaches to the vehicle's seat and allows the seat to be attached or removed from the vehicle without removing the base. Tests conducted by NHTSA and the Evenflo company have found that this car seat has the potential to separate from its base. Parents are urged to immediately contact Evenflo for a free supplemental dual-hook fastener to ensure the seat doesn't separate from the base. However, NHTSA says parents should continue to use the child safety seat while waiting for the fastener to arrive.

Owners of the affected seats can contact Evenflo toll-free at 800-356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST or visit its Web site.

Consumers with questions about this or any other safety recall campaign may call NHTSA's toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline 888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

For more information, see Consumer Reports car seat Ratings.

Are backup cameras a national treasure?

We were highly impressed by the camera work in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," the blockbuster movie now showing in theaters. But it wasn't the cameraman's talents that scored points with us; it was Nicolas Cage's use of a rear-view camera and dashboard monitor as he dodged his pursuers. As far as we know, this is one of the first times a backup camera has been used as a plot device in a movie—and a good one at that as it helped Cage not only evade the bad guys but also the curious dogs that got in his way.

While we, of course, do not condone Cage's reckless driving, we’ve been fans of the rear-view camera for some time. The reason is simple: In the U.S. 50 children are backed over by vehicles every week, according to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit group dedicated to eliminating non-traffic motor vehicle injuries and deaths in children. Of those children, 48  are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two children are fatally injured.  As we’ve noted before, it’s a dangerous situation due in part to the increased popularity of large vehicles such as SUVs and minivans that have large blind zones behind them. (Consumer Reports has rated vehicles on blind zones.)

We strongly support the Kids and Cars effort to get a new law passed to require some sort of vehicle rear-view alert system, whether it’s cameras or other technology.  The Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act, named for a boy whose father accidentally killed him while backing up the family’s SUV, passed the House late last year and has already been approved by the Senate Commerce committee.  We hope the senators take a clue from Cage and make rear-view technology a national treasure.

About that car
The car featured in the film is a Mercedes-Benz C-Class that was modified for the chase scenes (see photo above). While some Mercedes do come equipped with rear-view cameras, the camera is not offered with this particular model in the U.S. Here is the chase scene as featured on YouTube.

More about backup systems from Consumer Reports

• How to choose and use backup systems including Ratings (for subscribers).
• Videos: How to check the blind spot behind your car

Tires and ice: Winter driving challenges

Early winter storms and temperatures that have bounced from sub-freezing to above normal have alerted us to some of the challenges of winter driving. This week in the New York area the sun was brilliant and it was mild enough to walk outside without a coat. Last week the thermometer was down in the low teens. That 50-degree Fahrenheit difference doesn’t just pose a wardrobe dilemma, it may be the reason your car ends up in a ditch instead of staying safely on the road.

Because there’s nothing tempting about checking your tire pressure when the cold is biting and the pavement icy, you may have put it off for months. Bad idea. Tires lose about one pound per square inch (psi) of pressure for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit the temperature drops. (And the reverse is true when the mercury rises.) So the change in temperature from last week to this may mean your tires could be under inflated by five psi—more if they weren’t properly inflated properly to begin with.

Tires that aren’t inflated to the right pressure can lower fuel economy, wear out faster, and handle sluggishly. Worst of all, they may fail. So don’t take it for granted that your tires are safe; check them with an accurate gauge and inflate them to the pressure listed on your car door placard, in the owner’s manual, or in the glove box. (The number on the sidewall of the tire is the maximum to which it should be inflated; stick with the automaker’s recommendation for your particular car.) Our experts advise checking tires at least monthly when temperatures are typical of the season, and again after a big rise or drop. Take the pressure when the tires have been sitting for at least three hours, since tires that have just been driven will have a slightly elevated pressure.

If you drive a car with performance summer tires, you may also find that the cold weather has made them more like wagon wheels. Summer tires that grip just fine when it’s, well, summer, are not meant for freezing weather. In cold conditions, they can become stiff and lose their grip on the road, even when snow and ice aren’t a factor. Switch to all-season or winter tires and save the summer tires for warm weather.

Ice follies
After snow storms earlier this winter led to a flurry of accidents on Connecticut roads, the state announced it would start ticketing drivers who failed to clear the snow and ice from the roofs of their cars or trucks.

Flying ice and snow may do no harm to the driver of the blanketed vehicle, but it can be incredibly dangerous to others. Connecticut’s move came after a woman and her two-year-old child were  hurt when ice flew off another car and shattered their windshield.

The AAA says that most states have laws that allow police to ticket drivers of cars covered with ice or snow, even if the law doesn’t spell that hazard out. But there’s no question that it’s the driver’s responsibility to make the car safe enough to be on the road.

Our autos experts offer the following advice:

• Run your car with the heat on while you’re clearing the outside. Use a long-handled brush or scraper to remove as much ice and snow as possible.
• If you can’t reach the roof easily use a sturdy step stool—but only if your shoes and the ground aren’t slippery. If the ground is too slick, work at the edges of the ice and lift it away from the roof in chunks.
• Don’t use road salt or directly scrape the car, both of which can damage the finish.
• Consider a warm spray at a car wash, particularly if you have a tall vehicle (though note that car washes have differing rules about allowing snow-covered cars to enter).

If a sheet of ice comes flying at you when you’re on the highway, don’t panic. Swerving and hitting another vehicle risks a serious accident, and will likely cause more damage than getting hit by the ice. Gently apply the brakes and don’t change lanes or stop abruptly without checking that it’s safe.

More to explore

• Winter driving tips
• Early warning signs of tire failure
• Guide to safe winter driving
• Four-wheel-drive vs. All-wheel-drive

 

500,950 Cosco car seats recalled

Two models of Cosco convertible car seats—the Touriva and the Regal Ride—have been recalled by the Dorel Juvenile Group because the elastic straps that secure the pad to the shell can become loose. The concern, according to the notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that a child could loop the loose elastic strap around portions of his or her body resulting in an injury.

The 500,950 car seats affected by the recall were manufactured from Sept. 28, 2004 through Sept. 20, 2007 and include the following model numbers, which can be found on a sticker located on the side or back of the child restraint.

• Cosco Touriva: 22100TTD, 22100FSM, 22100TIP, 22111FSM, 22130WAL, 93100FSM, 93111FSM
• Cosco Regal Ride: 22139MON

Dorel is contacting all registered owners and at the same time will provide them with a free repair kit. Those consumers who have not registered their product or have not received a repair kit should visit www.djgusa.com or call 1-888-698-6681 to order a kit. There is no need to return the affected seats to the retailer. Dorel encourages parents to obtain and install the repair kit as soon as possible but says they can continue to use the child restraint as directed in their instruction manual.

Step-by-step instructions on how to repair the straps are featured on the Dorel's web site.

Local news highlights some universal hazards

A few items in the local news caught our attention recently. They could have been articles from any newspaper in the country, but that they happened in the same week in our area made us reflect on the safety challenges we face every day.

The first was a fatal house fire in Yonkers, N.Y. that killed a couple in their eighties. Police say the fire started when a space heater placed too close to the bed ignited the linens. The fire had plenty of fuel in the cluttered house. (In addition, fireman had to break through the front door, which had been bolted shut by the couple to prevent intruders.)

Next there was a report from the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection on its two-month investigation into local grocery stores. In November and December, the county sent inspectors into 59 grocery stores to look for expired foods. They found an average of 88 out-of-date items per store and removed 433 items from shelves at one store. Among the stomach-turners: cheddar cheese that was eight months past its sell-by date and four-month-old coffee creamer. Officials noted that grocery items most likely to be out-of-date were cheese (including cottage cheese and cream cheese) and yogurt, and vacuum-packed deli meat, hot dogs, and bacon. The report said that contrary to what some shoppers think, the back of the display case isn’t always where the freshest goods are, and that the top and bottom shelves of the dairy case held the most problems.

And in a sad (and sadly ironic) clash of timing and technology, an out-of-state computer technician focusing his attention on the GPS in his rental car found himself on the rails instead of the road in Bedford Hills. After the driver made a wrong turn, the car became stuck on the train tracks; the driver was able to escape before the car was hit by a commuter train leaving New York. More than 500 passengers were stranded for two hours and subsequent trains were canceled or postponed.

Perhaps we took special note of these news items because they involve issues we've covered in the past—space heater safety, food safety and GPS safety. Still, it's good to be mindful of such hazards when we're at home, on the road or at the grocery store.

Santa's safety list

The very nature of this blog means that most of the time, we are writing about things not to buy—the latest recalled toy or unsafe gadget. So today, we want to take a different approach and give you some ideas of things you could buy as gifts to help your loved ones and friends stay safe. Consider treating yourself as well.

For the car owner

• A tire pressure gauge;
• A roadside emergency kit with flares and a compact thermal blanket (if you live in a cold climate) in case the car breaks down;
• A backup system (top photo) to see what's behind the car, so you don't back over anything or anyone in that troublesome blind spot.

For the homeowner or renter

• Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors;
• Fire extinguishers—there are some stylish ones on the market;
• Metal ash bin and heavy gloves for the fireplace or wood stove;
• A fully-stocked first aid kit;
• Flashlight and batteries or, better still a hand-cranked radio and flashlight so you don't need to search for batteries or worry that they will run out;
• UL or ETL listed power strips and extension cords.

For the handyman or do-it-yourself woman

• A good, sturdy Type 1A step ladder that opens and closes easily;
• Hearing protectors;
• Safety glasses;
• Steel-toe work shoes.   

For the host or hostess

• An instant-read meat thermometer to know if your meat or poultry dishes are cooked to a safe temperature;
• Different colored cutting boards—one for poultry and meat, another for fruit and vegetables;
• LED candles that look like real candles to decorate your home without worries about fires.

For grandma or grandpa

• A new tub mat to replace the worn-out one that has lost its sticking power;
• A snug-fitting robe; styles with loose sleeves can catch fire easily;
• Socks or slippers with rubber anti-slip grips on the soles;
• Safety grips you can add to your shoes or boots to make walking on ice less treacherous.

For the active child or adult

• An updated, certified life jacket to replace the 30-year-old version at the summer cabin;
• A new—and better fitting—helmet for the cyclist, skier or snowboarder;
• A snug helmet and protective pads for the rollerblader, skateboarder or scooter rider;
• A reflective vest for the runner or walker.

For everyone
There are special tools available for anyone who has to open a gift that's been wrapped in a plastic shell to make the job easier—and safer.

Graco recalls 305,000 car seats because of choking hazard

Graco has recalled almost 305,000 of its SnugRide car restraints because the seat's fiber fill can become loose and pose a choking hazard to children, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced.

In the recall notice, Graco said it has determined that the backing of the seat pad on certain stand-alone SnugRide infant car seats may be prone to deterioration or tearing, especially after washing. If this occurs, children occupying the car seat may be able to remove the padding material from the back of the seat pad and place it in their mouths, posing a potential choking hazard.

The car seats were made from August 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 and sold for $69 to $89. You can find a full list of the models affected on Graco's web site. The recall does not include SnugRide car seats sold with a stroller as part of a travel system.

Graco is in the process of notifying registered owners of the car seat to tell  them how to get a replacement kit. Owners of the seat who have not registered the purchase can do so on Graco's Web site.  Graco cautions that parents can continue to use the car seat if they monitor the seat pad on a periodic basis to ensure the integrity of the pad and asks them to avoid unnecessarily washing the pad before getting the replacement kit. The company stresses that the issue does not affect the ability of the child restraint system to protect the occupant in the event of a motor vehicle accident. More information can be obtained by calling Graco at 866-414-6592. (Please have your model number and date of manufacture handy.)

The Graco SnugRide was included as a Best Buy in our car seat Ratings (for subscribers).

Study of older drivers challenges conventional wisdom

For years, the common assumption has been that older drivers are unsafe drivers. But a new study from the Rand Institute for Civil Justice challenges that notion, concluding that young drivers (15 to 24) are more likely to cause accidents.

The study -- using high-quality data on counts of two-car fatal accidents involving drivers of different ages -- found that drivers 65 and older are somewhat more likely, specifically 16 percent more likely, than adult drivers (those 25 to 64) to cause an accident.  “While that difference is significant, it is perhaps far smaller than the conventional wisdom, fueled by anecdote, would imply that it would be. And it is nowhere near the risk that younger drivers pose to the public,” the study said, noting that young drivers are 188 percent more likely than adult drivers to cause a crash.

The study found that older drivers drive far less than adult drivers do, 38 percent fewer miles, while younger motorists drive about 54 percent more than adult drivers. “Together, these findings suggest that younger drivers pose a much greater risk to traffic safety than do older drivers, both because they are likelier to cause a crash and because they drive many more miles,” the study noted. It stated that older drivers, who represent 15 percent of all licensed drivers, cause 7 percent of all two-car accidents while younger drivers, who represent 13 percent of all licensed drivers, cause 43 percent of all two-car accidents.

Why?  The study suggests that many older drivers stop driving or compensate for their impairments by changing their behavior: driving less frequently, avoiding high-speed zones and eliminating night-time driving. “While driving ability declines with age for most people, those seniors who continue to drive appear to be safer drivers than the general public might think,” said David Loughran, a RAND senior economist who was the lead author of the study. “By far, it is the youngest drivers who pose the greatest risk to traffic safety."

When they do get in accidents, drivers 65 and older are at much greater risk of serious injury or death because they are generally in poorer health and more frail than younger people, according to the study. Senior drivers are nearly seven times more likely than younger drivers to be killed in a two-car accident. “Seniors who drive pose a much larger risk to themselves than to others,” Loughran said.

So what do these findings mean? For one thing, state motor vehicle departments should carefully consider the costs and benefits of imposing stricter licensing requirements on older drivers. “Our results suggest that there are relatively few older drivers who need to be legally prohibited from driving,” the study says.  Attention would be better spent on improving car safety technology, such as airbags and seat belts to reduce injuries among older people. And of course, the study adds, “more public attention should be given to reducing the riskiness of younger drivers.”

Accidental deaths, a silent epidemic

Here’s a scary fact: Every five minutes, a person dies from an accident. The National Safety Council calls accidental deaths “a silent epidemic,” rising at an alarming rate -- more than 20 percent over 10 years -- reaching 113,000 fatalities in 2005, the latest data available.

According to a recent safety council study, accidental deaths are the fifth leading cause of death but the number of accidental fatalities is rising at a faster rate than the top four causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease. Accidental deaths reached an all-time high of 116,385 in 1969. At the current rate of increase, annual fatalities could surpass that record in just a few years, the safety council says.

Driving the increase is the aging population, which translates into more falls and more medication, leading to accidental overdoses, the council says. The safety council also pins some of the blame on new technology that distracts drivers. Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of injury-related deaths, although they have dropped significantly from the record high of 56,278 in 1982 to 42,642 in 2006.

The second leading cause of accidental death is poisoning, particularly from overdoses of over-the-counter, prescription and illicit drugs. In fact, poisoning is the fastest-rising cause of accidental death, with a  5 percent increase in 2005 alone. Deaths from falls rank third, with choking and drowning rounding out the top five. These five leading causes account for 83 percent of all accidental deaths. But while drowning was the fifth-leading cause nationally, many states ranked fire as the fifth-leading cause of accidental death.

There is some good news from the safety council’s report. The death rate from workplace injuries has dropped by 17 percent since 1992. On the other hand, the death rate from injuries incurred at home and in community settings has increased by 30 percent for that same time period.

Accidents also accounted for more than 24 million nonfatal injuries in 2005. The economic cost of all fatal and nonfatal injuries amounted to $625.5 billion nationally, or $5,500 per household. “Our research shows that when it comes to safety, most Americans are more concerned about being the victim of a random act of violence than they are about being seriously injured in an accident,” said NSC President and CEO Alan McMillan. “The reality is that while we are at greater risk of experiencing an accidental injury, we have greater control over managing those risks.”
   
It goes without saying—be careful.

More information
For a state-by-state accident report visit the National Safety Council site.

Traffic fatality rates falling--except for motorcycles

There’s some pretty good news in the latest traffic death numbers recently issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: The number of people who died on the nation’s roads fell last year to the lowest highway fatality rate ever recorded--1.42 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. By comparison, the fatality rate was 1.69 in 1996, 2.51 in 1986 and 3.25 in 1976.

The number of deaths recorded in 2006 was 42,642. That was 868 fewer and 2 percent below 2005 numbers, representing the largest decline in total deaths in 15 years.  Injuries were also down, dropping by 6.2 percent for passenger cars and by 15 percent for large trucks.

But here’s the bad news: Counter to the overall positive trend, motorcycle deaths rose 5.1 percent in 2006, the ninth consecutive annual increase. Motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total  traffic-related fatalities and in 2006 exceeded  the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time since NTHSA began collecting fatal motor crash data in 1975.

Also troubling: Alcohol-related fatalities rose slightly over 2005.

Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters attributed the decline in overall fatalities to tough safety requirements and new technologies that have helped make vehicles safer and roads less deadly. However, she noted, “proper training, clothing, gear and above all, helmet use are essential” to reversing the deadly trend for motorcycle riders.

As Jeff Bartlett writes on the Consumer Reports Car Blog, "Certain bike types may invite dangerous behavior, but ultimately it is the driver that takes the risks.  Whatever is your vehicle of choice, obey the law and drive responsibly for all our sakes."

NHTSA accelerates new car safety rule

With so much attention recently being given to toy safety, an important new rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not received the attention it deserves and warrants a closer look. Earlier this month, the car-safety regulator announced new standards requiring car makers, for the first time ever, to provide head protection in side-impact crashes.

NHTSA does so by expanding its current safety tests that in essence require vehicles to be built to protect people in side collisions with other vehicles. Now, NHTSA will also require tests to protect people in more severe side collisions. NHTSA will add a pole test that simulates a vehicle sliding sideways and hitting a tree or a utility pole. This is a severe test as it concentrates most of the load on one spot. Additionally, NHTSA will now require more than just average-size male dummies to be used in gathering crash-test data. The agency is also mandating petite female dummies because crash data indicate that 34 percent of all serious and fatal injuries to near-side occupants in side impacts occurred to occupants 5 feet 4 inches or less.

NHTSA says side-impact crashes account for 28 percent all fatalities, of which the majority involve a brain injury. The agency says its new requirements, which will be phased in beginning in 2009 and in all model-year vehicles by 2013, will save more than 300 lives a year and prevent nearly 400 serious injuries.

NHTSA’s new standards don’t specify the kind of technology automakers must use, although it’s likely that car makers will continue to use some form of side-curtain airbags and air bags protecting the chest and abdomen to meet the standard.  Some car makers began installing side air bags in 1997 and the car industry said that head-protecting side air bags were available in 84 percent of all 2006 model year vehicles. A voluntary industry agreement in 2003 calls for all 2009 model year vehicles to provide enhanced head protection in side impact crashes involving cars and trucks.

Based on this voluntary agreement, NHTSA estimates that the cost of the new rules will  increase the cost of the average vehicle by $33.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety currently uses a more stringent side-impact crash test than NHTSA, representing a 3,300-lb SUV or light truck. The Institute also uses dummies that represent a small adult female or a 12-year-old adolescent in that test.

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, welcomes NHTSA's long overdue upgrade of the side test. It will complement the IIHS's test and ultimately serve consumers better since  manufacturers are more likely to engineer cars to perform well over a range of conditions.

More information
To learn more about car safety, read “Crash Test 101.”
To see how your car performs in IIHS tests, view crash test videos.
Read more about cars in our Cars Blog.

Two more child safety seat recalls

Two weeks ago, we reported the recall of 121,109 Britax Decathlon child safety seats.  Today, we have two new recalls to report. The first is a large recall involving several different models made by Dorel Juvenile Group--nearly 1.3 million total. The second recall is of 276,921 Graco Comfortsport 5-point harness convertible seats.

The Dorel recall involves Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Safety 1st car seats (see the list below for specific models) made between November 2003 and December 2005. The models in question are being recalled because the harness adjustment strap can loosen while in use.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “in the event of a crash, the child may not be properly restrained, possibly resulting in an increased risk of injury.”

Dorel says that it has received reports of center front adjusters slipping on other models, but the complaint rate is higher on the models being recalled. Dorel suggested several reasons for that, including the fact that the recalled models are convertible and can be used in the infant rear-facing mode. That may put different stresses on the center front adjusters, Dorel told NHTSA. Additionally, the company said, on a limited number of center front adjusters, the gripping teeth were damaged in the manufacturing process. “While this damage should not, standing alone, allow slippage, it may make it more likely," Dorel said.

Additionally, the company said slippage is more likely when there is a lot of dirt, food and/or sticky gummy liquid residue on the strap. That’s one reason why the company is including a cleaning brush and cleaning instructions in its remedy kit for the recalled car safety seats.

Dorel will contact all registered owners and provide them with information on how to obtain a free repair kit to replace the harness adjustment strap. Those consumers who have not registered their product should visit www.djgusa.com or call 800-219-0509 to order a free repair kit. Until the kit is installed, parents should be sure to adjust the harness adjuster strap snugly each time they put their child in the child restraint and if they have difficulty adjusting the strap or if it won’t stay tight, Dorel suggests using a different child seat until the repair kit has been installed.

The specific models are:

•     Cosco: Alpha Omega, Alpha Omega Elite: 22150, 22155, 22180, 22269
•     Eddie Bauer: 3-in-1, Deluxe 3-in-1, Deluxe Convertible: 22740, 22750, 22755, 22756, 22757, 22770
•      Safety 1st : Alpha Elite, Alpha Omega, Alpha Omega Elite, Intera, Enspira: 22151, 22450, 22451, 22452, 22453, 22455, 22460, 22480, 22481

Even if you don’t have these models, you should take this recall as good advice—and be vigilant about keeping the straps of your car seat clean.

Graco Comfortsport recall

The Graco recall involves certain Graco Comfortsport 5-point harness convertible (rear/forward facing) child restraints manufactured from January 2 through July 31, 2007. The model numbers are: 8629TWL, 8631DFT, 8631DRA, 8632PSO, 8635TAC, 8639COS, 8C00BLG, 8C00DMN, 8C00GRP, 8C00LNW, 8C00MID, 8C00TMB, 8C01SVD, 8C01WTN, 8C02MGI, 8C02MRC, 8C03HAL, 8C03WCF, 8C04FRR, 8433FOF, and 8630MTR.

During production, the LATCH lower anchorage belt in some of these child restraint systems was incorrectly routed. As a result, when these child restraint systems are used in the rear-facing mode, attached with the lower anchorage belt, they fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standards because the seat back angle of the child restraint can exceed 70 degrees in a frontal crash. This increased rotation may increase the risk of injury to the child.

Consumers should not use the seat in the rear-facing position with LATCH until the belt routing has been inspected and, if necessary, corrected. The vehicle seatbelt can be used instead of LATCH in the meantime. However, consumers who have rerouted their lower anchorage belt according to the instruction manual for use in the forward-facing mode are not affected by the safety notice.

Graco will notify registered owners and provide detailed instructions for examining the lower anchorage belt routing and, if necessary, reconfiguring the incorrectly routed belt. Owners can contact Graco at 800-345-4109. Parents who did not mail in their registration card are advised to call the company or visit its web site for further information including visual aids.

Graco indicates that if you are unsure of the routing instructions, or until you can make the change, that seats can be used in the rear-facing mode when installed using the vehicle seatbelt instead of LATCH.

Graco also notes that the recall does not affect seats being used in the forward-facing mode as the belt routing would have already been changed by the consumer following the instruction manual.

NOTE: Consumer Reports featured the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite #22155 in an earlier report.

 

Have you checked your tire pressure lately?

We’re ashamed to admit this, but this posting is clearly a case of “Do as we say—Not as we do.” After all, we know that we should regularly check our tires to make sure they are properly maintained, have sufficient tread and have the correct amount of pressure.

And we know that’s particularly important during the summer months. As Nicole Nason, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently warned consumers, “Checking tires is particularly critical during the summer when roads are hot and families are putting a lot of miles on their cars with their vacation plans. … Overloaded vehicles, under-inflated tires, and hot weather can all combine to possibly turn a family vacation into a horrific nightmare.”

But Nason notes that few people take the time to check the condition of their tires, or whether the tire is properly inflated. A tire industry survey this year found 85 percent of drivers fail to properly check tire pressure. NHTSA estimates that crashes associated with tire problems take approximately 660 lives each year and injure 33,000 people. And recent NHTSA research shows that hot weather can affect the tire aging process, especially in warm climate states.

In addition to safety concerns, smart drivers keep their tires properly inflated to get better mileage.  Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by about 3.3 percent. Less air means more force to get the tire rolling, causing increased fuel consumption and air pollution.

Don’t go by the maximum inflation pressure specified on the tire, rather use the inflation pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer found typically on the driver’s door jamb of your car.  Also, check the inflation pressure after the tires have sat for three hours or more. Warm tires will naturally have an elevated pressure. 

That advice reminded us we haven’t checked our tires recently. We did and what we found was humbling: One car had one under-inflated tire by 6 pounds-per-square inch (psi). But two were over-inflated by 3 psi. In another vehicle, three tires were under-inflated by 3 psi; one was over-inflated by the same amount.

So take our advice and check your tires before you drive any further. For proper care of your tires and procedures to check the air pressure, visit www.safercar.gov. For more information on tires, including Ratings, from Consumer Reports visit our tire hub.

Britax recalls child safety seat for design defect

Letters are in the mail to registered owners of the Britax Decathlon child safety seat to alert consumers that a safety recall is underway for models built between Feb. 12, 2005 and July 31, 2007. At issue is a defect that allows the adjuster to pop out of position under certain circumstances. The letter to owners includes rivet fasteners to keep the adjuster in position.

The recall, conducted in concert with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involves 121,109 units of model E9L47. Britax has gotten complaints from parents that the adjuster housing popped out of position when they were adjusting the harness. (The adjuster is used to tighten the harness around the child.) No deaths or injuries have been reported.

According to the notice, in certain circumstances the adjuster may move out of position making it difficult for caregivers to properly adjust the harness. Because of this, Britax is sending owners two rivet fasteners (plus an extra) that will secure the adjuster to the child restraint. Britax has set up a Web site for the recall, www.decathlonrecall.com, and is also featuring an instruction video on its site www.britaxusa.com.

Owners of the car seat who did not send in the registration card can call 800-683-2045 or register online at www.britaxusa.com. Even owners of the seat who have not experienced problems are strongly advised to make the repair.

Note: Consumer Reports listed the Britax Decathlon as an appropriate seat for obese children according to the manufacturer's specifications.

Tire recall: Importer recalls 255,000 tires

Foreign Tire Sales (FTS), a New Jersey importer, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued a recall for 255,000 light-truck tires made in China under the brand names Westlake, Compass and YKS. The steel-belted radials were sold as replacement tires for vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks between 2004 and 2006.

According to the recall notice issued by FTS, the "affected tires do not have a gum strip or they have an insufficient gum strip between the steel belts which may result in the tread and/or belts separating from the tire. If this happens, a driver could lose control and crash."

The Associated Press reports that FTS has been sued by the families of two men whose van was involved in a fatal crash in Pennsylvania in August of last year. The tires on the van, the lawsuit states, were manufactured by the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company in China. The company denies that the tires are faulty.

FTS contends that Hangzhou Zhongce changed the construction of the tires without informing the importer.

In the recall notice, FTS shows consumers how to check the sidewalls of their tires for the brand, size, model and Department of Transportation number. FTS has also posted a video on YouTube that shows how to inspect your tire for the relevant information.

Here is what to look for:
Brands: Westlake, Compass, YKS
Model numbers: CR857; CR860; CR861
Sizes: LT235/75R-15; LT235/85R-16; LT245/75R-16; LT265/75R-16; LT31X10.5R-15
Partial DOT numbers: 7DT5FTS...;7DT2FTS...; 7DT3FTS...; 7DT4FTS...; 7DT6FTS...
Please note that the DOT number should include dates from 0404 to 0206.

The Foreign Tire Service is a family-owned importer based in Union, N.J. It has no retail operations but sells tires directly to distributors across the country. Dealers will attempt to contact owners of the tires by mail. Consumers affected by the recall will have their tires replaced at no cost and can get instructions for doing so by calling the hotline at 888-899-9293 or visiting the FTS website, www.foreigntire.com.

Consumers who replaced their tires after June 11, 2007 can submit a receipt to Foreign Tire Sales, Inc., 2204 Morris Avenue,, Suite  L-5, Union, NJ 07083, attn. Recall

Find out more about tire selection and safety in our car section.

Ford's recall of 3.6 million vehicles takes effect

Ford's recall of 3.6 million vehicles to fix faulty speed control deactivation switches begins today. The carmaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall August 3 to alert owners that the switches could leak, overheat and cause fires under the hood.

The recall affects a number of models of cars and trucks built between 1992 and 2003 including the Town Car, Crown Victoria, Explorer and Grand Marquis, among others.

The switch is designed to turn off the cruise control when the driver steps on the brake. Even drivers who do not use the cruise control feature should have the part replaced.

Owner notification is slated to begin today and be completed by Sept. 19. In the notice, Ford advises owners of the trucks and sport utility vehicles to take their vehicle to a dealer immediately for installation of a replacement system.

Because there are not yet enough parts to repair all the cars, owners of those vehicles are being advised to go to the dealer immediately to have the switches disconnected. In October, when the replacement parts become available, car owners will be asked to return to the dealer for the repair.

A full list of the vehicles follows:

• 1993 Ford Bronco
• 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria
• 1992-1993 Ford E-150 - E-350
• 1997-2003 Ford E-150 - E-350
• 1999-2001 Ford Explorer
• 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport
• 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
• 2003-2004 Ford F-150 Lightning
• 1995-2002 Ford F-53 Motorhome
• 1993 Ford F-Series
• 1998-2002 Ford Ranger
• 1993-1995 Ford Taurus SHO (automatic)
• 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
• 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car
• 1994 Mercury Capri
• 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
• 1999-2001 Mercury Mountaineer

You can find more information on Ford's web site or NHTSA's site. Owners can also contact Ford at 800-392-3673.

For more news about cars and trucks, read our cars blog.

Janette Fennell: Safety at under 5-miles-per-hour

“It if can’t be done, don’t interrupt the person who is doing it.”

Janette Fennell says that quote has become her motto. And in safety circles, Fennell has certainly become better known than the person who uttered those words -- he, or she, is known as “anonymous.” Fennell, the founder and president of Kids and Cars, is determined to “make a difference.”  So, she says, don’t interrupt her when she’s trying to figure out how to do something that many say can’t be done.

Kids and Cars is a nonprofit safety group whose mission is to make sure no child is killed or injured in non-traffic motor vehicle accidents. Such incidents include children being backed over by adults—often by their own parents in a driveway; children left in cars in hot weather; children inadvertently setting cars in motion and children caught—and sometimes strangled—when the power window switch is unwittingly turned on. According to data collected by Kids and Cars, at least 598 children were involved in such incidents last year, resulting in 219 fatalities. Already this year, there have been 468 incidents and 133 fatalities.

This summer there have been some harrowing examples. In Kyle, Texas a, mother accidentally backed over her 18-month-old son when he wandered behind her pickup. On Long Island, New York, this week, a mother ran over her five-year-old when she didn't realize he was in front of her minivan as she pulled into the driveway. And earlier this summer in Concord, California, an 11-month-old was found dead buckled into his car seat in an oven-hot minivan after his father forgot he was in the back seat and went to work.

For more than a decade, Fennell has worked tirelessly for new government rules to reduce such incidents. It was largely through her efforts that the government, in 2000, mandated release latches in car trunks. More recently, her safety campaign helped prompt the government to issue new rules requiring safer power switches on windows although Fennell wants even tougher rules that would require windows to auto-reverse when the window glass hits an obstacle.

Fennell believes that little has changed since Ralph Nader  emerged as a national consumer advocate with his book “Unsafe at Any Speed” in 1965. At the time Nader accused the car makers of resisting safety features such as seat belts.  “We have the same problems today,” says Fennell, although now, there are so many non-traffic incidents that she suggests the book be retitled “Unsafe at No Speed.” Backovers are “one of the top reasons for child fatalities in this country,” causing about about 2,400 hospital emergency room visits and 100 fatalities a year, she said.  "There is a huge hole missing in education and understanding of dangers of vehicles at zero to five miles-per-hour," she says. 

Fennell is now pressing Congress to pass legislation that would require the government to issue a standard for vehicles that would require car makers to improve the field of view when backing up.  The legislation, spearheaded by Fennell, is called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act and has companion bills in both the Senate and the House.  Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, supports this bi-partisan legislation and has collected more than 32,000 signatures petitioning Congress for its passage.

Calling herself a survivor advocate, Fennell explains that she became a car-safety missionary after a bone-chilling event. In October 1995, she and her husband and their then-infant child, Alex, were returning to their California home around midnight when two men kidnapped them, forcing the adults at gunpoint into the trunk of their own car. They were driven to a remote area, robbed and abandoned. The Fennells were able to tear apart the trunk’s interior, find the release cable and free themselves. Realizing that their son was no longer in the back seat, they called police who discovered the boy unharmed outside their house. Fennell knows her family was lucky; the outcome could have been very different. And her work makes it clear she’s determined to make sure that’s the case for hundreds of other families.

By any definition, Fennell (who now lives in Kansas) is a safety crusader, someone who belongs on our growing list of citizens and groups determined to make the world a safer place.

Do you know any crusader we should meet? Please send us your nominations by adding your comments.

Rosemary Shahan: from a lemon she made ... lemon laws

Consumer activist Rosemary Shahan was at one time so inexperienced that the posters she used to picket an auto dealer were completely illegible. This is the same Shahan whose tireless campaigns have led to lemon laws around the country, airbag requirements for every car sold in the U.S., numerous auto recalls, and a car buyer’s Bill of Rights in California.

Since 1979, Shahan has worked aggressively to expose deceptive and illegal practices, recall unsafe or defective vehicles, and improve auto safety technology. (For example, we can thank Shahan for making car manufacturers install height adjusters for seat belts). Currently, she is working to get California and other states to participate in the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System. This national  information-sharing database allows law enforcement agents, and buyers and sellers of motor vehicles to track car histories. Doing so could curtail fraud involving vehicles damaged in wrecks or floods as well as identify stolen vehicles.

Shahan well deserves to be on this blog’s list of Safety Crusaders. Like many of our previous crusaders, she didn’t deliberately set out to be a consumer activist. It all happened by chance—and somewhat spontaneously—after a California auto dealer repeatedly failed to fix her car, damaged in a collision, in a timely fashion. "They kept saying it would be done and it wasn't," Shahan recently recalled. “After three
months, they admitted they hadn’t even ordered all the parts yet ... and said if we complained, they would put bad parts in the car. They even showed us samples of bad parts.” Shahan, then an English teacher, started to picket the dealership. “I was a terrible picketer. At first, people couldn’t read my signs.” But over time, her signs improved and more and more people approached Shahan to tell her their own car horror stories.

That was in 1980, when California’s state law said consumers had to give manufacturers a “reasonable” number of repair attempts before a car could be considered a lemon. “But nobody knew what was reasonable and at one hearing, Ford said it would take up to 30 tries” before it deemed a car a lemon, Shahan said.

That acknowledgement led to the drafting of a state lemon law in California that served as a model for similar laws across the country. Now, Shahan says, car manufacturers have four chances in California to repair a new car before it is labeled a lemon and the consumer is entitled to a full refund or replacement vehicle.

Shahan never got her wrecked car back, but she used a financial settlement from the dealer to launch a consumer advocacy group, now called CARS for Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, that has been on the leading edge of many auto-safety issues.

For the record, Shahan drives a 1988 Volvo, which she bought new because it had a driver's side airbag -- a new feature at the time. It now has 230,000 miles on it. “It’s a workhorse,” says Shahan. So too is Shahan -- and for that we are safer, and most grateful.

You can find out more about Shahan and her crusade at the CARS Web site.

Do you know any Safety Crusader candidates? Please let us know.

Activists highlight roof-crush concerns

Every year, 10,000 lives are lost in automobile rollovers; 24,000 passengers are seriously injured. It’s a problem that has long concerned Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, having frequently called on the government to issue stronger safety standards to protect occupants in vehicle rollovers.

We are far from alone. This week, many similar voices convened at a conference in Washington, D.C. in hopes of bringing more pressure on the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration to adopt stronger roof-crush safety standards.  The conference, entitled “Emergency World Summit on Roof Crush,” was put together by Paula Lawlor, a California mother of seven who has helped numerous attorneys around the country represent roof crush victims in their lawsuits against car manufacturers. Lawlor has many supporters, who call her the Erin Brockovich of the auto industry; she also has many detractors who say she is a tool of the trial attorneys.

    We’re not here to take sides on Lawlor. But we are pleased to see the attention being given to roof-crush safety, particularly as NHTSA prepares to issue its latest version of a new roof-crush safety proposal.  In November 2005, NHTSA issued a proposal to tighten the long-held standard that has required cars up to 6,000 pounds to meet a static weight test. In that test, a metal plate is pressed on a vehicle’s roof to show it can support at least 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight. Under the 2005 proposal, NHTSA said it would increase the weight ratio to 2.5 times a vehicle’s weight — and make that standard apply to vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds, thus making SUVs and pickups comply with roof-crush rules.

Now, NHTSA has indicated that in a few weeks it expects to issue a supplement to its 2005 proposal — a sign that significant changes probably have been made. We hope these changes will include a requirement for a dynamic roof-crush test — one that involves a moving vehicle — to simulate the point of impact for each specific vehicle. Doing so would measure the depth of the caved-in roof and determine how well seat belts and side curtain airbags protect occupants in rollovers. This