SACRAMENTO CAR WRECK ATTORNEY
Sacramento Car Injury Accident Lawyer

The last time the government upgrades its rules for roof strength was more than 30 years ago. The proposed rule tests roof strength on one side, but the highway funding bill requires roof strength be tested both on the driver and passenger sides of a vehicle.

Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen President, issued a statement citing information that rollover crashes are responsible for about a fourth of all traffic fatalities and about one-third of all occupant fatalities each year. In 2004, 10,553 people died in rollover crashes, and the NHTSA has estimated roofs crush in during roughly one quarter of all rollover crashes.

Despite the high frequency of roof crush in rollover accidents, the consumer group said most auto manufacturers already produce vehicles that can pass the weak test that is not adequate enough since the forces in rollover crashes exceed the amount the roof is designed to withstand. The NHTSA still does not require real world crash tests, known as a dynamic test, to gauge roof strength, according to Claybrook, despite SUV rollover deaths up nearly seven percent and the feasibility to make much stronger roofs.

Claybrook was head of the NHTSA from 1977 to 1981, and believes the agency’s single most effective step it can take is to ensure occupants survive when vehicles rollover.

October 27th, 2004
"Government crash and rollovers tests report Ford vehicles worst performers"
According to new government crash and rollovers tests, two 2005 Ford vehicles, the two-door Focus and Ranger 4x4 pickup, were the worst performers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when a Focus was hit in the side in a 38.5 mph test the rear passenger was at risk of serious head injury. The Focus, receiving three out of five starts for rear passenger protection, the lowest ratings among cars tested, was tested without side air bags, which a Ford Motor Co. website lists as a $350 option on the vehicle.

The Ranger 4x4 earned two stars in NHTSA rollover ratings, the lowest of the ten 2005 pickups tested. The Ranger has a 30.6 percent chance of rolling over in a crash, considering the vehicle's height and weight and its performance in a 35 to 50 mph test with a sharp turn, according to the NHTSA. Ford said it would study the new data but stands by the safety of the Focus and Ranger when compared to similar vehicles.

The NHTSA released crash test results for seven passenger cars, one pickup and one SUV and rollover ratings for one crossover vehicle and ten pickups. The agency chose the tested vehicles based on popularity and other factors.

October 15th, 2004
"Auto accidents death toll trends still worrisome"
According to government reports, the rise in fatalities from 1993 to 2003 among drivers aged 15 to 20 is most likely attributed to an increase in miles traveled. While more motorists are dying, the average mileage traveled has also increased. The number of young drivers that died in 2003 (3,657) was fewer than 2002 (3,827).

The decrease in young driver fatalities has been attributed to a combination of things. Some experts believe the growing attention paid to real world skill in driver education classes has helped contribute, as well as the increase in seat belt use among drivers aged 16 to 24 that increased from 65 percent in 2002 to 72 percent in 2003. A decline in alcohol involvement in crashes among young people was also shown in the data.

Though the numbers are encouraging, regulators believe there is still a lot of work to do in reducing the fatalities. The number of young drivers killed as a percentage of total drivers who died still held steady at around 14 percent over the decades. According to studies, limiting the number of passengers in young drivers' cars cuts down on accidents, and parents are advised to limit the amount of nighttime driving as well. The percentage of young, female drivers involved in fatal crashes has grown faster than the rate for males since 1993, representing 28 percent of the young drivers killed in 2003 compared with 25 percent in 1993.

September 17th, 2004
"Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacies Refuse to Fill Prescriptions for Auto Accidents"
Since 1990, Pennsylvania state law has required pharmacies to give a 20 percent discount on any drugs sold to auto accident crash victims. Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert told the Associated Press in September 2004 that the law was created to indirectly lower the cost of auto insurance , but the inability for some drug store chains to afford the big discount led them to announce they would no longer sell medications to auto accident victims rather than comply with the law.

After Pappert told the Associated Press his office had been receiving complaints that CVS Corp. was not adequately informing customers about both the discount and its decision not to fill the auto accidents prescriptions, CVS agreed to post signs in its Pennsylvania pharmacies warning customers of its policy. CVS said its auto accidents prescription policy has been in place since 1993. Since many auto accident customers were unaware of the policy, the state has claimed people were filling their prescriptions at CVS at full price.

As a result, the company and the state's Bureau of Consumer Protection filed a binding legal agreement September 14, 2004 requiring CVS to clearly post signs stating its auto accidents prescription policy. Of the 354 CVS stores in Pennsylvania, 341 have pharmacies.