Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner 

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The Washington Post reports that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has designated nine NASA experts to help solve the "scientific mystery" surrounding unintended acceleration in Toyotas. Moreover, "a separate panel from the National Academy of Sciences" will investigate unintended acceleration and on-board electronics "across the industry." The Post notes the lack of consensus among automotive experts over whether there could be an electronic fault causing unintended acceleration in Toyotas.

"The increasing complexity of engines, which run on multiple microprocessors and lots of software, has complicated the discussion." The Post adds that DOT is expected to announce today that its Inspector General "has been asked to review whether federal safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have the personnel to adequately handle the complex engineering questions that arise in such investigations."

The Los Angeles Times also covers this story, noting that the "two investigations follow pressure from Congress on federal safety regulators to address persistent questions about the causes of unintended acceleration, and whether the problems stem from faulty computer-controlled electronic throttle systems."

These developments make clear how extensive and complex the problems are, and further cast doubt on the ability of federal agencies to handle investigations on their own.  This is yet more evidence as to why it is important to have access to civil courts, so that full investigations can be conducted, the truth can be revealed, and safety measures can be put in place to protect consumers from further injuries.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner 

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USA Today   reports that the NHTSA may require "Black boxes" in all US automobiles.  The story notes how black boxes in cars help experts reconstruct accidents to determine the causes of the causes of crashes.   This development was, according to the report, "[p]rompted by Toyota's recalls and questions about whether they fully remedy possible runaways." 

I am a big fan of this kind of positive change.  Why not have black boxes in cars.  Anything that fosters safety while diagnosing defects and recklessness is a good thing. Let's hope the NHTSA follows through on this initiative.

I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, drive safely.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner 

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I mentioned recently that I present volunteer seminars at Metro area schools on the issue of distracted driving.  I gave another seminar recently on March 10, which was attended not only by high school students, but faculty as well.  I have been asked to return to the school to give another seminar soon, which I am looking forward to doing.

There are all kinds of distracted driving, including eating, putting on makeup, playing music too loudly, texting, cell phone use, map-reading, and drinking while driving.  Any kind of distracted driving is lethal.  As part of my presentation, I speak to my audience about body mechanics and how much time it takes to react to emergency situations.  Those in attendance are often amazed to hear how long it takes to stop a car, even on dry pavement, at 55 mph.  In most circumstances, believe it or not, it takes nearly a football field (or 100 yards) to perceive an emergency in front of you, determine how to respond to it, move your body as necessary to change the course of your vehicle, and then allow time for the vehicle to come to a complete stop.  The science is not debatable.  Therefore, the notion that someone can drive safely while being distracted is simply nonsense.

My presentation also includes actual videos of cars striking pedestrians and other vehicles. The videos are extremely powerful.  I show them to impress upon the students and others in attendance how real lives are devastated by distracted driving.  The ripple effect of causing an accident due to carelessness is far-reaching.

The message to the students is simple:  you owe an obligation to yourself, your passengers, others on the road, as well as to your families and friends who would be devastated as a result of any injury you caused, to drive safely.  Cars are lethal weapons.  Drive to stay alive.

Please be careful on the road and don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about my presentations concerning distracted driving.  You can call me at (202) 822-1899 or email me at szambri@reganfirm.com.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

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The New York Times reports that Toyota has announced that its dealerships will "provide replacement accelerator pedals to owners unhappy with repairs" after a series of cases of unintended acceleration in cars that have already been through the recall process. According to the report, "'Accelerator pedal replacement is based on specific customer request only,' said the memo, which was addressed to dealers, service managers and parts managers. 'Dealers are not to solicit pedal replacement.'"

If you have had your vehicle "repaired" following the recall, but still experience problems with your automobile, please return it to the dealer immediately.  If you are not getting a prompt response from your local dealer, you are encouraged to contact Toyota's national customer service center at 1-800-331-4331.

Drive safely.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

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Approximately 5.7 million car crashes take place in America every year.  Approximately 28% of those crashes (about 1.6 million accidents) are caused by distracted driving. 1.4 million are attributed to cell phone use.  The remaining 200,000 collisions are attributed to texting.
Of course, these numbers are deflated.  Texting and cell phone use on the road is on the rise and has reached crisis levels.  Drivers need to be more responsible; otherwise, they place themselves, their passengers, and others on the roadway in great peril.

Throughout each year I volunteer at local schools to speak to students about the drastic consequences of distracted driving.  Most recently, on March 9, 2010, I spoke to high school students in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The students were extremely attentive and amazed by the statistics, as well as the video presentation of actual incidents caused by distracted driving that I included in the presentation.  They all learned from the presentation and take seriously this issue of distracted driving.  If even one person’s life is saved, the presentation was worth it.
I will be giving several more presentations throughout the year. 

If you are interested in learning about these free seminars, please call me at (202) 822-1899 or email me at szambri@reganfirm.com.

Please don’t drive while distracted.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

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Toyota said on Monday that the sudden-acceleration claim given by a San Diego man, who stated that his Prius hybrid car accelerated out of his control for 30 miles, was “inconsistent” with the findings of its initial examination of the car, according to the Associated Press.

The New York Times reports, "The company statement followed a similar one from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said its investigators could not find evidence explaining the incident and that they might never know what happened."

It should be noted that the Toyota executives have not accused the man, James Sikes, "of lying or staging the incident, they did say that their examination showed that the car would have stopped when the driver firmly applied the brakes. Engineers found no evidence of friction in the accelerator pedal or that the pedal could have been pinned down by the floor mat."

The incident allegedly endured by Mr. Sikes occurred on March 8.  The following day, according to the Times report, "a woman in Harrison, N.Y., said the Prius that she was driving accelerated suddenly before it crashed into a rock wall. That driver, who was not seriously injured, was on the way to a Toyota dealership to have the vehicle inspected.

Experts have testified that it is very possible that the brake system can work normally most of the time, but falter intermittently.  Consequently, consumers and investigators are still very concerned about the Toyota vehicles.

If you have any concerns about your vehicle, please do not drive it.  Have it inspected immediately.  It could be a matter of life and death.

Drive safely.

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Seattle based Classmates.com agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by users of the social network for $9.5 million.    The lawsuit contended that the company essentially tricked people into paying for membership by pretending that their classmates were looking for them.  The new members then often found, after paying for membership,  that their old friends were not actually reaching out to them.  A document filed in the case, indicates that over 3 million members might be eligible for payouts of $3 per member.  Those  who are eligible upgraded to a "gold" membership after being told a classmate was looking to connect with them.  You can read more about this in Todd Bishop's blog on Techflash.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

Although Toyota has been in the spotlight recently, "unintended acceleration has been a problem across the auto industry, according to an NPR analysis of consumer complaints to federal regulators." According to the NPR News investigation, other automakers, including  Volkswagen, Volvo and Honda, have had significant complaint rates for some of their models. "The analysis covers about 15,000 complaints filed over the past decade, covering cars back to the 1990 model year. The complaints were filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which regulates auto safety," states the NRP report.

If you experience any problems with your car, you can register a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration by clicking here.

Technology is often shared, so it is not surprising to learn that cars from different manufacturers have similar defects.  If you are unsure about the safety of your vehicle, please get it inspected immediately.  Even minor defects can have devastating consequences.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

The Los Angeles Times reports that House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus Towns said that Toyota "'deliberately withheld' evidence in lawsuits related to vehicle safety, exhibiting a 'systematic disregard for the law.'" According to the report, Towns stated that Toyota created secret "Books of Knowledge" that included information about design defects, but never disclosed their existence in lawsuits, according to internal company documents released by the committee Friday.  "We have to get to the bottom of this," Towns said in an interview. 'It is a situation that is just not going to go away if we ignore it.'"

Time magazine reviewed the progress of the congressional hearings concerning Toyota's safety crisis and noted that "the spectacle failed to answer a key question: whether Toyota has pinpointed the problems that caused it to recall more than 8 million cars, including over 6 million in the U.S., since last fall." Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda clearly has a tough road ahead of him in attempting to restore the company's image.  Of course, that image was of the company's own doing.

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