News tagged with 'Auto Accidents'

Insurance scams target female drivers, usually in a newer-type car, or distracted drivers, and create an accident that appears to be her fault. The scammers then claim they are the "victims" of injury and are costing insurance companies, and ultimately us all, billions in fraudulent claims.

The Distracted Driving Summit has resulted in President Obama signing an executive order that bans 4.5 million federal employees and the military from texting and driving. Truckers are not included at this time.

Major automakers expressed support Wednesday for banning drivers from text messaging and using hand-held mobile phones while operating a vehicle.

The New Chrysler has agreed to accept product liability claims for consumers injured by defective automobiles, but only after it emerged from bankruptcy June 10. GM and Chrysler together had about 2,000 product liability claims pending before bankruptcy that can now only proceed against bankrupt companies.

Consumer groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to require that a skull and crossbones sticker be put on used Chrysler automobiles to warn prospective customers that the manufacturer will not assume liability for any injuries or death from any defects among 30 million Chrysler vehicles still on the road.

Women are involved in about 2,000 alcohol-related deaths each year. The statistics were released in connection with the National Labor Day Enforcement Crackdown, which targets drivers leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend.

While the family of Diane Schuler denies she had a drinking problem, federal statistics show that the number of women arrested for DUI is up, although still fewer then men arrested for DUI.

Comcast, the largest cable-television corporation, has pulled ads critical of General Motors bankruptcy plan that leaves injured consumers or their survivors uncompensated.  The media giant says it wants to check them for accuracy, even though the New Chrysler required it be "free and clear of all liens and claims” as a condition of bankruptcy. 

A number of Prius owners have nearly lost their lives when the fuel-efficient hybrid accelerated suddenly, taking owners on the ride of their lives.

The numbers are astonishing and about 40 percent more than previously thought. More than 5 million live with some paralysis and are fighting with not only their condition but frequently with access to resources, jobs, insurance, and rehabilitation, making this a civil rights issue says the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.  

While the anti-drunk driving organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving has had an impact over the last two decades on reducing DUIs and saving lives on the road, critics now say it's zero tolerance policy amounts to a New Prohibition that extends to the social drinker.

A collision with a big truck nearly killed this nine-year-old boy. His head was essentially severed from his neck with connective tissues destroyed. Jordan Taylor not only survived but is walking and talking and returning to school in January.  Doctors call this a miracle. 

In a federal lawsuit filed on December 1, Public Citizen claims that records showing the connection of driver cell phone use and traffic fatalities are being withheld from the public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

A report and live webcast on the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, August 1, 2007 is underway and about to be issued. Structurally too-thin gussets connecting the steel span will likely be the conclusion. 13 people died and 145 were injured while more bridges are in similar shape around the country.  

What consumers need to watch out for is contained in this, the fourth in a series of reports on the "Tricks of the Trade" behind the multi-trillion dollar insurance industry. The sick and vulnerable are often the victims of denied or cancelled policies.