Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - (Page 14) 14 • JULY 21, 2008 Hooray! Joint effort stops airbag deaths Lives can be saved when government, industry and others work together Philip W. Haseltine It took a lot of work by a lot of people to get the results to add up to zero. But in this case, zero is a good thing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s latest report on the subject shows that in 2007, for the first time since 1992, there were no child or adult deaths caused by deploying airbags. That fact shows what can be achieved when industry, government and safety groups work together. During the 1990s, reports of deaths caused by airbags were all too frequent. At least 180 children and 103 adults were killed by deploying airbags between 1990 and 2006. The victims were mostly children and small adults, and virtually all were improperly restrained or completely unrestrained. NHTSA’s biennial reports are based on special investigations that the agency began conducting in response to those airbag-related injuries and deaths, most of which occurred in relatively low-speed crashes. EDITORIAL STAFF 313-446-0361 E-mail autonews@crain.com Web site www.autonews.com Keith E. Crain Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Peter Brown Associate Publisher and Editorial Director DETROIT 313-446-0361 Fax: 313-446-0383 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 David Sedgwick Editor dsedgwick@crain.com Edward Lapham Executive Editor elapham@crain.com Richard Johnson Managing Editor rjohnson@crain.com John K. Teahen Jr. Senior Editor Mary Beth Vander Schaaf Deputy Managing Editor comment Philip W. Haseltine is a consultant on adult and child passenger safety issues. He was executive director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign in 2005 and 2006. The campaign had a three-part strategy: 1. Educating the public about the risks and benefits of airbags. 2. Lobbying for enactment of strong primary-enforcement seat belt laws. 3. Pushing for vigorous enforcement of child passenger safety and seat belt laws. As a result, the campaign changed the culture of how Americans ride and transport their children in motor vehicles. In 1996, 78 percent of parents surveyed thought it was OK for children age 8 or younger to ride in front seats of vehicles with passenger airbags, and 16 percent reported transporting infants in front seats. By 2002, only 18 percent of parents thought putting children in the front was a safe practice, and only 1 percent said they put infants in front seats. Well-organized coalitions persuaded legislators in 16 states to change their seat belt laws from secondary to primary enforcement, allowing officers to ticket violators without having to witness another traffic-law infraction. Twenty-six states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now have primary-enforcement laws. Twentythree states are limited to secondary enforcement, and New Hampshire has no adult belt use law. The first nationwide high-visibility enforcement drive to increase child restraint and seat belt use was organized by the campaign in 1997 with 1,000 police agencies from all 50 states participating. A decade later, The first goal of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign was to prevent deaths by spreading the message that children should ride in the back seat. Click It or Ticket mobilizations had grown to more than 10,000 local, county and state police and sheriffs’ departments. They continue today, coordinated by NHTSA and supported by state and federal funding. Strengthened laws and stepped-up enforcement increased seat belt use from 61 percent in 1996 to 82 percent in 2007, saving an estimated 11,000 to 15,000 lives. tomakers designed and installed sensors that determine an occupant’s size and position on the seat. Earlier fears that adjusting NHTSA’s airbag test procedures would be a mistake proved false. Concerns that more deaths would result as consumers purchased early model airbag vehicles from the usedcar market also proved false. NHTSA’s latest report confirms the astounding success of the collective efforts of disparate groups and organizations. When the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign ceased operations at the end of 2007, its key programs were absorbed by NHTSA, state highway safety agencies and private safety organizations. The campaign’s decade-long effort serves as a textbook model of how industry, government and advocacy groups can address serious public health and safety issues successfully. Charles Child International Editor David Kushma Retail Editor Dave Guilford News Editor Philip Nussel Special Projects Editor James B. Treece Industry Editor Jesse Snyder Senior Writer Karen Faust O’Rourke Insight Editor COPY EDITORS: Bob Allen, Tom Fetters, Patricia C. Foley, Kenn Jones, Gregory Skwira Susan Zavela Bamford/Graphics Editor Rick Kranz/Product Editor REPORTERS: Leslie J. Allen, David Barkholz, Mary Connelly, Ralph Kisiel, Jamie LaReau, Arlena Sawyers, Robert Sherefkin, Richard Truett, Bradford Wernle, Amy Wilson Mary Raetz Director, Automotive News Data Center Debi Domby, Camille Pippen Research Assistants Dan Jones Office Manager First goal: Prevent deaths The change didn’t just happen. It was the result of an unprecedented commitment of resources by vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, insurers, government agencies and private safety organizations to the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, a program of the National Safety Council. The campaign spent more than $46 million over a decade to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. The National Safety Council is a charitable, international public service organization dedicated to educating and influencing people to prevent accidental injuries and deaths at home, on the job, in the community and in transportation. The campaign began in 1996. Its first goal was to prevent deaths by urgently spreading the message that children should ride in the back seat. The long-term goal was to get all vehicle occupants buckled up or in child restraints. Other changes At the same time, NHTSA modified its airbag test requirements, allowing automakers to reduce the inflation power in driver and passenger airbags. Improved sensors distinguished between different crash forces and patterns and adjusted airbag inflation levels accordingly. Multistage inflators allowed airbags to respond differently, depending on crash conditions. Suppliers and au- What do you think? We would like to hear from you. Send a letter to the editor via e-mail (autonews@crain.com) or to the Detroit address near the top of the box at right. Here’s what we need. No more than 250 words Your name and title, company name if we can print it, city and state; or tell us about your connection to the auto industry Your phone number or e-mail address Your permission to print it Robertta Savage Editorial Assistant Corinne M. Price, Michael Garrison Information Center LOS ANGELES Mark Rechtin/Bureau Chief 310-739-8009 Fax: 310-832-6362 Kathy Jackson/Reporter 323-370-2481 Fax: 323-655-8157 Alysha Webb/Reporter awebb@crain.com 6500 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048-4947 NEW YORK Diana T. Kurylko/Reporter Phone/fax: 908-273-6059 dkurylko@crain.com WASHINGTON Donna Harris/Reporter 540-668-7295 Fax: 540-668-7296 Harry Stoffer/Reporter 202-662-7212 Fax: 202-638-3155 814 National Press Building Washington, DC 20045-1801 MID-SOUTH Lindsay Chappell/Bureau Chief 615-371-6654 Fax: 615-371-6655 April Wortham/Reporter 615-371-6617 104 East Park Drive, Suite 315, Brentwood, TN 37027 TOKYO Hans Greimel/Asia Editor +81-3-3828-9060 Fax: +81-3-3828-9061 hgreimel@crain.com Yurakucho Denki Bldg., 20th Floor 1-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan TURIN Luca Ciferri/Reporter lciferri@craincom.de +39-011 961 0194 Fax: +39-011 961 0113 Viale Cavaglia, 8 10029 Villastellone (TO) Italy STAFF CORRESPONDENT: Eric Freedman/Legal file, 517-337-0269 www.autonews.com DETROIT Victor Galvan/Web Editor vgalvan@crain.com 313-446-0345 Scott Kennedy/Multimedia Editor continued from Page 12 the definition of cool. That is good engineering. What’s cool is what appeals to John Q. Public. Green can be fun and cool. TOM KUCHNICKI Alanson, Mich. The writer is retired. He was a fuel systems engineer. All-Stars: Look beyond top brass To the Editor: I certainly appreciate your coverage of the global auto industry, but the Automotive News All-Stars list is a disappointment (“Amid the storm, stars shine,” July 7). You recognize only the top brass at the companies. As Richard E. Dauch can tell you, those guys are receiving plenty of recognition in the form of huge salaries. Good editorial on that, by the way (“Some execs win even when their companies lose,” also July 7). I would suggest that next year you dig deeper and root out the All-Star powertrain test and design engineers at General Motors instead of Tom Stephens. Find the top buyer or supplier quality engineer at Honda instead of the senior vice president. Find the top systems architect of the Chevy Volt instead of Bob Lutz. The Society of Automotive Engineers, the Society of Mechanical Engineers and the auto shows do the same thing; I can’t tell you how many times Jacques Nasser, Carlos Ghosn or Rick Wagoner received recognition/awards for some technology or design or ad campaign. I mean no disrespect to the leaders, but I suggest holding their awards for stock price performance. Ultimately, it’s a contributing factor that drives the top engineers and businessmen out of the auto industry. Please consider an alternative approach next time. NEIL MAGUIRE Los Gatos, Calif. The writer is a former Delphi engineer. Leno was right about U.S. cars To the Editor: Although one can certainly argue that the quality and design of American cars have improved, Jay Leno’s criticisms (“Leno’s words of wisdom for automakers,” Final Assembly, June 2) hold true for my generation. I have never owned an American vehicle. Why? Because American vehicles are not appealing to the eye and do not hold up from a quality standpoint. My advice is to spend additional money and own a veh http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - July 21, 2008 Automotive News - July 21, 2008 Gray sky, not blue; store values wilt Sour Chery: Bricklin suit claims corruption Germans in U.S. eye VW work S.C. warranty insurer faces shutdown LaNeve: Make do with less marketing money Tesla CAFE: 244 mpg Lincoln's big crossover Schaeffler goes shopping: Can supplier land Continental? Dealers cut, shift their ad spending Truck for the times? Oklahoma pickup gets 37 mpg For Chrysler sensations, glory days are gone Kuzak: Redone Fords must have best fuel economy The Fisher brothers: Quite a body of work Kazamai concept: Mazda's design heard round the world 3 years later, Mitsubishi, UAW resume contract talks Big-pickup production will plunge Nason's NHTSA: More rules, fewer penalties A vote for the Volt Hyundai: Genesis gives brand a new beginning in luxury GM may survive; to thrive, it needs hot products GM just bought some time Green can be cool; it's up to the maker Why don't we drive diesels in the U.S.? Hooray! Joint effort stops airbag deaths All-Stars: Look beyond top brass Leno was right about U.S. cars Toyota recalls Siennas, disputes safety issue This time, the industry embraces connectivity Telematics connects with consumers Telematics gets no respect — the word, that is Tapping mapping for an extra eye on the road Drivers can check CO2 'tire print' Pay As You Drive insurance tracks cars to trim costs Subscribers, sponsors may fund telematics services Big-truck sales fall 14% in June Continental plant to make brakes Lear to shut Mo. seating plant Modine shifts production to Ky. Linamar buys Visteon plant Picture this Lexus revamps 'Taste' marketing extravaganzas Suzuki hires new auto ad agency Fisker turns to Finnish firm to make first hybrids American Suzuki gets new president Canada sales slip 5.6% in June Dealers A big fuel saver: Easy-rolling tires (but watch braking) MPG now! Automakers race to boost efficiency Products — not entire brands — likely to be ditched Pared ad budget is back on the chopping block GM goal: Big small-car profits Congress mulls arbitration bill 2009 Mazda6 price: $19,220 Copart files antitrust suit Denton's out, Leuliette's in as Dura CEO June output falls 13.8% Dodge Challenger: Not quite a sellout Magazine is raided in Renault espionage case Ya gotta believe: Dealers buy GM stock States of the auto industry Will the big guns pull the trigger? Lear a year later: Icahn's offer in hindsight Midcourse correction in Toyota's global sales outlook Chattanooga: A good site better Automotive News - July 21, 2008 Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - (Page Intro) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Gray sky, not blue; store values wilt (Page 1) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Gray sky, not blue; store values wilt (Page 2) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Lincoln's big crossover (Page 3) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Truck for the times? Oklahoma pickup gets 37 mpg (Page 4) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Truck for the times? Oklahoma pickup gets 37 mpg (Page 5) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - 3 years later, Mitsubishi, UAW resume contract talks (Page 6) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - 3 years later, Mitsubishi, UAW resume contract talks (Page 7) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - A vote for the Volt (Page 8) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - A vote for the Volt (Page 9) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Hyundai: Genesis gives brand a new beginning in luxury (Page 10) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Hyundai: Genesis gives brand a new beginning in luxury (Page 11) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Why don't we drive diesels in the U.S.? (Page 12) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Why don't we drive diesels in the U.S.? (Page 13) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Leno was right about U.S. cars (Page 14) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Leno was right about U.S. cars (Page 15) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Toyota recalls Siennas, disputes safety issue (Page 16) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Toyota recalls Siennas, disputes safety issue (Page GM1) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Toyota recalls Siennas, disputes safety issue (Page GM2) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Telematics connects with consumers (Page 17) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Telematics connects with consumers (Page 18) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Telematics gets no respect — the word, that is (Page 19) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Tapping mapping for an extra eye on the road (Page 20) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Pay As You Drive insurance tracks cars to trim costs (Page 20A) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Pay As You Drive insurance tracks cars to trim costs (Page 20B) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Pay As You Drive insurance tracks cars to trim costs (Page 20C) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Subscribers, sponsors may fund telematics services (Page 20D) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Subscribers, sponsors may fund telematics services (Page 21) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Linamar buys Visteon plant (Page 22) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Picture this (Page 23) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Fisker turns to Finnish firm to make first hybrids (Page 24) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 25) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 26) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 27) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 28) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 29) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 30) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Canada sales slip 5.6% in June (Page 31) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Dealers (Page 32) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - MPG now! Automakers race to boost efficiency (Page 33) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - GM goal: Big small-car profits (Page 34) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Denton's out, Leuliette's in as Dura CEO (Page 35) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Denton's out, Leuliette's in as Dura CEO (Page 36) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - June output falls 13.8% (Page 37) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Chattanooga: A good site better (Page 38) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Chattanooga: A good site better (Page 39) Automotive News - July 21, 2008 - Chattanooga: A good site better (Page 40)
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