One of our Underride Research funding goals is to cover the costs of crash testing at IIHS ($25,000) of an innovative underride prevention system designed by Aaron Kiefer, a forensic engineer (he does crash reconstructions) here in North Carolina. Jerry and I went to see his prototype a few weeks ago. Very cool. It combines side & rear guard protection.
If a manufacturer knows that one of their products has a defect or flaw or a component which could potentially result in death or serious injury, should they be let off of the hook from being accountable for the consequences of their refusal to improve the safety of their product?
What do you think? What would you think if you were the victim (or if someone whom you knew was the victim) of such an “oversight”?
Does a cost/benefit analysis which indicates that making the change would be “too costly” (i.e., costs “outweigh” the benefits of saved lives) excuse them from responsibility?
Read about the GM settlement over deaths due to installation of defective ignition switches:
“‘GM killed over a 100 people by knowingly putting a defective ignition switch into over one million vehicles,’ said Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety. ‘Yet no one from GM went to jail or was even charged with criminal homicide. This shows a weakness in the law not a weakness in the facts. GM killed innocent consumers. GM has paid millions of dollars to its lobbyists to keep criminal penalties out of the Vehicle Safety Act since 1966. Today thanks to its lobbyists, GM officials walk off scot free while its customers are six feet under.’” – See more at: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/critics-rip-gm-deferred-prosecution-in-switch-case/#sthash.KW9gdwjA.Tc0H8H28.dpuf
Latest post in The Federal Register for Public Comments on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making for underride protection on Single Unit Trucks (SUTS) includes comments on suggestions for side guards to protect cyclists:
After the success of the AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety Petition in 2014 on The Petition Site, we went back to Care2 where it was hosted online and gave them an update on our efforts. They decided to write an article on our safety advocacy efforts.
There have been some comments added to the Public Comments on the Federal Register for the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making on rear underride protection for Single Unit Trucks (SUTS).
The Public Comment period is currently scheduled to end on September 21, 2015. We encourage you to add your comment to this process to indicate support for the inclusion of Single Unit Trucks in the requirements for underride protection.
(Just a note: It doesn’t matter who is at fault in these kinds of crashes of a smaller vehicle into a larger truck; if the underride guards could prevent the smaller vehicle from riding under the truck, the tragedy of death and horrific injury could be avoided.)
Mary loved to play. Life was to be enjoyed–at every opportunity.
Lately, I have been taking morning walks and have discovered a wonderful frisbee/disc golf course. There are numerous “tees” around the city, and I only came across a small portion of them.
Part of the course was in a wooded area. Walking there filled me with peace but also with a knowledge that Mary would have loved it and might even have taken on the challenge with me of doing the whole course someday. That will never happen now.
The other day, my grandkids had fun walking a wee little bit of the Rocky Mount frisbee golf course–using their foam rocket launchers instead of frisbees. We all had fun. But their grandma simply doesn’t have Mary’s imaginative playfulness or youthful exuberance and spontaneity.
And here is a video showing some disc golf technique. I can just see Mary watching this on her computer to figure out how to improve her frisbee throwing skills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4ozihP00AA
“Ten automakers have committed to the government [NHTSA] and a private safety group [IIHS] that they will include automatic emergency braking in all new cars, a step transportation officials say could significantly reduce traffic deaths and injuries.”
But I am glad to see that those “watchdogs” plan on pursuing regulations for that technology. http://tinyurl.com/oc4cqy2
Michael R. Lemov in his book, Car Safety Wars, describes the impact of the passing of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act in 1966:
“Detroit had lost its bid to prevent federal regulation of the safety of motor vehicles and highways. The companies promised to ‘live with the bill.’ But the industry continued its efforts to weaken key safety standards under the new act. It had only temporarily lost its political clout. It raised objections to the first standards issued by NHTSA in 1968 and later, to most things the safety agency proposed. Manufacturers sent their chief executives to the White House and to President Nixon. They pressed Secretaries of Transportation. They lobbied administrators of NHTSA. They argued, often successfully, to the House and Senate Appropriations committees for restrictions on the safety agency’s funding. The car safety wars did not end.
The enactment of strong federal motor vehicle and highway safety laws marked the single biggest milestone in the century-long fight for safer cars and roads. But the long struggle against death and injury on the highways was really just beginning.” p. 106
It is important for verbal commitment to safety to be followed up with regulatory provisions to ensure that it, in fact, becomes a reality.
When Mary and AnnaLeah were about 5 and 9, we danced together to the song Come to Jesus (Chris Rice). We didn’t get it on video (at least, I can’t find it), but we do have some photos. And quite a few years later (around 2010 or so), their older sister choreographed a dance to that same song for a group of little girls; we have a practice session for that on video.
Yesterday, I created a Youtube video of those little girls for their moms to see. And today, I added the photos of Mary and AnnaLeah dancing before the Lord–missing them dreadfully but thankful that they could “fly to Jesus, and live!”
Come to Jesus
Weak and wounded sinner Lost and left to die O, raise your head, for love is passing by Come to Jesus Come to Jesus Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden’s lifted And carried far away And precious blood has washed away the stain, so Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby Don’t be afraid to crawl And remember when you walk Sometimes we fall…so Fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely And steep and filled with pain So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over And music fills the night And when you can’t contain your joy inside, then Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat Kiss the world goodbye Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory’s side, and Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus and live!
This morning, I was taking a walk in the woods and saw a beautiful delicate & tiny lavender flower. I thought, “How fragile life is!” And I wept at how “easily” AnnaLeah & Mary lost their earthly lives. I am so thankful for the many minutes & hours & days & weeks & months & years that we had them with us and they got to enjoy life.
Earlier this morning, I had been remembering the time Jerry and I had taken Mary to a little lake in Rochester, MN, on Labor Day (2012). After 5 years in brown, arid West Texas, she was so delighted to be living someplace where she could have such fun in water. Jerry and I are so glad that we took her there that day.
How “easily” abortion robs a human of life. Who do we think we are to take life so lightly? Why do we think that it is our place to have a say in who will have life and who will not?
