Safety & Accident

CUMMING, GA - Gerald Eaker, global fleet safety manager for United Parcel Service (UPS) in Atlanta, passed away Dec. 31, 2009. He was 52.

Tags: obituary, UPS

WASHINGTON - Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is recalling more than 4,200 vehicles equipped with a Ricon wheelchair lift and a cassette-type wheelchair lift compartment door.

Tags: Motor Coach Industries , motorcoach recall, NHTSA, wheelchair lifts

WASHINGTON - New Flyer Industries Ltd. is recalling more than 1,800 MY 2004-2009 transit buses.

Tags: New Flyer Industries, transit buses

ROCKLEIGH, NJ - As more campaigns surface to fight distracted driving, Volvo Cars of North America (VCNA) is encouraging other U.S. employers to join the movement by enacting stronger policies regarding the use of cell phones while driving.

Tags: distracted driving, driving safety, Volvo

CAMPBELL, TX - An Americanos USA bus on Tuesday, March 16, veered out of control on a Texas highway before flipping over, killing two passengers and injuring 40 others on board, the Associated Press reported.

Tags: Americanos USA , Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, highway fatalities, motorcoaches

DINWIDDIE, VA - Virginia is reopening 19 rest stops it closed less than a year ago because of budget shortfalls, the Associated Press reported.

Tags: American Trucking Associations, highway safety

WASHINGTON - General Motors is recalling more than 9,000 MY 2009-2010 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles because of problems with the defroster/defogger system.

Tags: Chevrolet Express , General Motors recall, GMC Savana , NHTSA

TORRANCE, CA - Honda said it will recall approximately 344,000 Odyssey and 68,000 Element vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years in the U.S. to modify the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) modulator.

Tags: Honda Element, Honda Odyssey, Honda recall

ARLINGTON, VA - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M37/M56, a large luxury car, has earned the institute's highest rating of "good" for front and side crash protection.

Tags: Lexus HS 250h, crash tests, IIHS, Infiniti M37, Infiniti M56, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Toyota 4Runner

SAN DIEGO, CA - Toyota said Monday, March 15, that its preliminary test results on a 2008 Prius, which was allegedly involved in an unintended-acceleration episode last week near San Diego, were inconsistent with the driver's account.

Tags: Prius, sudden acceleration

MT. LAUREL, NJ - Automotive Resources International (ARI) announced it has enhanced its Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) search capabilities and automated assistance in completing manual MVR forms using the web-based ARI insights system.

Tags: ARI, MVR

GOTEBORG, SWEDEN - The all-new Volvo S60 is packed with high-tech solutions that actively help the driver avoid accidents. The Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake is a world first.

Tags: Driver Alert Control, Lane Departure Warning, Pedestrian Detection, S60, Volvo

SAN JOSE, CA - The cost of a ticket for texting or using a hand-held phone in California would be among the toughest in the nation if a bill introduced in the state senate becomes law.

Tags: texting ban

WASHINGTON - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recognized Wyoming yesterday for becoming the 20th state to enact a statewide ban prohibiting drivers from texting while behind-the-wheel.

Tags: NHTSA, texting

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th consecutive quarter.

Tags: Department of Transportation, NHTSA, traffic fatalities

VAN NUYS, CA - The U.S. Government has closed down Tierra Santa Inc., a Los Angeles-area bus company involved in a crash that killed six people in Arizona on Friday, March 5, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Tags: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Tierra Santa

TORRANCE, CA - Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday, March 8, assembled a group of automotive experts for a press conference to dispute claims that faulty electronics are to blame for episodes of sudden acceleration, the Associated Press reported.

Tags: sudden acceleration, Toyota recalls

WASHINGTON - Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 352 MY 2010 Freightliner Cascadia trucks equipped with optional Sheppard HD94 steering gears.

Tags: Daimler Trucks , Freightliner Cascadia, Freightliner Cascadia truck recall , NHTSA, truck recall

WASHINGTON - Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. is recalling about 2,300 MY 2010 Galant vehicles because of a problem with the automatic transmission oil cooler pipe assembly.

Tags: Mitsubishi Galant, Mitsubishi Galant recall, Mitsubishi recall, NHTSA

WASHINGTON - Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America Inc. is recalling nearly 20,000 MY 2005-2010 FE83D, FE84D, FE85D and FG84D trucks because of an issue involving the air intake duct.

Tags: Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America , NHTSA, truck recall

WASHINGTON - The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) is reminding collision repair shops that a program developed by the group can assist them in efforts to trace and recall any aftermarket crash parts deemed unsafe.

Tags: aftermarket crash parts, Certified Automotive Parts Association , collision repair

MINNEAPOLIS - XATA Corp., a leader in fleet software and services, announced a reseller partnership with SpeedGauge, a commercial vehicle GPS data provider for speed tracking and analysis.

Tags: fleet software, fleet tracking, GPS, SpeedGauge, XATA , XATANET