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national highway safety administration

Consumer Reports’ ‘Worst Cars’: Is Fiat Chrysler on your safety watch list?

September 9, 2015 by Ken Levinson Leave a Comment

Consumer Reports has released its annual list of ‘Worst Cars.’ There’s one company that stands out among the rest.

When Consumer Reports reveals its annual list of the “Worst Cars” each October, there’s at least one question I ask myself: Do these so-called “worst cars” ever get better?

Let’s compare the top four “worst cars” of 2015 with the worst of 2014: The 2015 list includes the Chrysler 200, the Landrover Discovery Sport, the Lexus NX 200t/300h and the Kia Sedona. The 2014 list ranks the Scion tC, the Chevy Spark, the Scion iQ, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Mitsubishi Mirage, the Smart for Two and the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as “worst cars” of the year.

Consumer Reports ranks these and other vehicles based on several factors like fuel economy and the way a car actually feels on the road. For my money, though, I’m thinking about safety. So is, in part, Consumer Reports, which states: “Safety remains a top concern for new-car shoppers, and fortunately, today’s modern cars offer more occupant protection and accident avoidance technologies than the typical model being traded in. But not all cars are equal; there are clearly those models that perform better in our dynamic tests, as well as crash tests conducted by the government and insurance industry.”

So being that not all cars are created equal, it’s no surprise that the “worst cars” list is something of an attention grabber. While the top 5–10 worst cars grab headlines each fall, other models find lesser prominence in subcategories like sedan and SUV, making the full report much more robust than what you’d think, and with many more brand name vehicles. Combing through the list and taking into account all these various subcategories, there’s at least one company that stands above (or below?) the rest. That’s Fiat Chrysler. For the last two years, Fiat Chrysler’s vehicles have been featured more times than any other company; five cars made last year’s list, which is now up to seven in 2015.

If you’ve been following the news, you know that Fiat Chrysler has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Two weeks ago, Chrysler recalled 200,000 2014 Jeep Cherokees because of faulty windshield wipers. Earlier this summer, two computer engineers successfully hacked the computer console of a Jeep Cherokee, deliberately leading the driver (a writer for WIRED magazine) to a ditch. The car conglomerate later recalled thousands of Cherokees after the article was published. By then the damage was done.

According to data gathered by The Detroit News, Fiat Chrysler has accounted for almost one-third of all U.S. auto recalls in 2015. This year the company set a record for 10.2 million vehicles out of 24 recall campaigns. To top things off, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration slapped Fiat Chrysler with $105 million fine for improperly recalling vehicles as part of a dozen campaigns over the last two years, the largest fine ever imposed by the NHTSA. The number was partly determined because Chrysler admitted that it failed to fix problems, or was slow to inform consumers of the defects.

So what, if anything, is changing at Fiat Chrysler? That’s a question that has yet to be answered. Regardless, the “Worst Cars” report is a barometer for consumers, one that carries weight for insurers and lawyers who are quick to take note of record-breaking fines and rankings on unflattering lists. And for Fiat Chrysler, the trust factor is getting lower and lower. Consumers should be taking note of such trends, asking themselves if any of these rankings, recalls and bad press is a byproduct of a corporate culture that’s prone to make questionable business decisions than consumer-driven ones.

Fiat Chrysler should be taking note, too, primarily about consumers who deserve safe and secure vehicles. Otherwise next year’s list will feature more of the same.

It’s National Bus Safety Week

October 20, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

School Bus Safety Week
Flickr user bsabarnowl

It’s the busiest and most anxious time of the year for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As fall begins and droves of students begin their daily morning rituals, the NHTSA is gearing up for a long scholastic season of bright yellow buses and big red Stop signs. It all leads to National School Bus Safety Week 2014, a national public education program designed to promote school bus safety around the country, promoting the theme “At my Stop, you Stop!” October 20-24.

Consider these facts: Nearly 24 million students ride the bus each year, keeping nearly 17.3 million cars off the road, according to the NHTSA. In 2009, the National Safety Council estimated that the national school bus accident rate was 0.01 per 100 million miles traveled, compared to 0.04 for trains, 0.06 for commercial aviation and 0.96 for other passenger vehicles. If you’re skeptical of those dated numbers, the NHTSA has good news: The bus continues to be the safest mode of transportation for students traveling to school in 2014.

But also consider this: Studies have shown that getting on and off remains the most dangerous aspect of bus safety. It’s an overlooked fact. It’s also one of the most emphasized facts during Bus Safety Week, which also involves a national poster contest (students create posters based on a designated theme, encouraging youngsters to actively take part in the program).

National School Bus Safety Week dates back to 1970 when Californian Dick Fischer, a former school district transportation director, established a national committee on bus safety. Since then, in a coordinated effort by the National School Transportation Association and the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the annual public awareness program has generated awareness among parents and students about staying safe around the bus for more than 40 years.

We recently doled out tips and best practices for parents in preparation for back to school week, one of which included a tip about bus safety. If you’re like the majority of parents, you’re doing due diligence to make sure your child is well aware of his or her surroundings. In this case, however, school transportation and safety is a two-way street.

Below is a list of best practices directly from the NHTSA and our friends at Safe Kids Worldwide, good for both you and your child to review throughout the school year.

For kids:

Never walk behind the bus

Wait till it comes to a complete stop before boarding

Arrive at your stop at least ten minutes early, so as to avoid rushing

Stay away from the danger zone around the bus. Buckle Up Illinois defines the danger zone as the 10-foot area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of being hit. They suggest taking five giant steps away from the bus before crossing so that the driver can see them.

Wait until the bus is completely stopped, and watch for the driver’s signal before boarding the bus.

Look left and right before boarding to make sure the road is clear, especially if the bus has stopped away from the curb.

Listen to the bus driver, teacher or any other adult who is in charge on the bus. They will signal when it is safe to get out of your seats and when to get on and off the bus. They also will give instructions in an emergency.

For parents:

Walk with your kids to the bus stop and wait with them until it arrives. Tell kids to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time.

Teach kids to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and never to walk behind the bus.

If your child needs to cross the street after exiting the bus, he or she should take five giant steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the bus driver and cross when the driver indicates it’s safe. Teach kids to look left, right and left again before crossing the street.

Instruct younger kids to use handrails when boarding or exiting the bus. Be careful of straps or drawstrings that could get caught in the door. If your children drop something, they should tell the bus driver and make sure the bus driver is able to see them before they pick it up.

Drivers should always follow the speed limit and slow down in school zones and near bus stops. Remember to stay alert and look for kids who may be trying to get to or from the school bus.

Slow down and stop if you’re driving near a school bus that is flashing yellow or red lights. This means the bus is either preparing to stop (yellow) or already stopped (red), and children are getting on or off

 

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