GRAY MARKET RECALL. Poor Brakes Implicated In Up To a Third Of Heavy Truck Crashes

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1 Poor Brakes Implicated In Up To a Third Of Heavy Truck Crashes GRAY MARKET RECALL BMW of North America, Inc. is recalling 184 cars imported through the gray market because of possible cracks in the wheels. Although the company is not the importer of the defective vehicles, authorized BMW dealers in the United States will inspect and service the vehicles. The recall is for foreign versions of the 635CSi produced from December 1983 to July 1986 with vehicle identification numbers through Owners of BMWs not made for the U.S. market are advised to use extra caution in turning corners and at high speeds until the wheels have been replaced.

2 Poor rakes Implicated in One-Third of Crashes

3 Late Switch in Votes Doomed Massachusetts Seat Belt Use Law Summer Support for Seat Belt Use Law And Actual November Vote B LT USE UP Driver seat belt use has risen to 39 percent according to a government-funded study of belt use patterns in 19 cities throughout the United States. The surveys were conducted between July and December of 1986 by Goodell Grivas, under contract for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The overall use rate has more than doubled since 1985, when surveys conducted in the same cities put driver belt use at about 15 percent. Seat belt use is highest for cities in states with belt use laws, where it averages 46 percent. Of the cities with belt use laws, Dallas and Houston have the highest use rates with 67 and 64 percent of the drivers buckled up. Chicago is the lowest, with 26 percent buckled up. The surveyors saw much lower belt use in six urban locations where there are no belt use laws. The highest use rate among these locations was in Pittsburgh, where 26 percent of the drivers were belted.

4 Child Restraint Use More Than Doubles, NHTSA Reports Early Results Show High Mounted Brake Lights Reduce Crashes AMBULANCE RECALL Approximately 22,000 Ford ambulances built between 1983 and 1986 are under investigation for safety defects by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The alleged defects involve excess pressure in the fuel tank and leaks from the fuel filter pipe. According to NHTSA, 170 cases of fuel expulsion have been reported involving 15 fires and four injuries. The ambulances built on the Ford E350 Econoline chassis were either produced by altering a completed van to meet ambulance specifications or by purchasing an incomplete vehicle from Ford and mounting a body to the chassis and cab. Ford has agreed to work with the ambulance manufacturers in conducting a safety recall campaign to correct the fuel expulsion problem. The company has developed a kit to increase the capacity of the fuel tank venting systems and reduce the temperature in the exhaust systems. According to NHTSA, the formal safety recall is being conducted to ensure adherence to safety regulations and to monitor the completion rate for servicing the vehicles.

5 6, Judge Rules X-Car Brakes Not Defective; NHTSA Appeals VEHICLE CLASSES In response to a petition filed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will begin a review of the agency's definitions of vehicle classes. In a letter to the Institute, Barry Felrice, associate administrator for rulemaking, noted that granting the petition "signifies that the agency believes that a further review of the issues raised in the petition appears to have merit. A decision on whether to amend the current definitions will be made according to statutory criteria." Last December, the Institute asked NHTSA to reconsider its current definition of light trucks and multipurpose vehicles such as minivans and four-wheel drive vehicles, which are currently exempted from meeting certain safety regulations applicable to passenger cars. The Institute says NHTSA should "establish new definitions of vehicle types that are consistent with current manufacturing and marketing strategies and that are based on vehicle use rather than arbitrary design characteristics...', (See Status Report, Vol. 22, No.1, Jan. 24, 1987.) In recent years, light trucks, small vans, and Jeeplike vehicles have grabbed an increasing share of the private passenger vehicle market. This year, they are expected to capture nearly one-third of the new car market.

6 Institute Defines Legal Issues On Radar Detectors ALLSTATE BACKS BAN Allstate, a major automobile insurer, has issued a corporate policy statement opposing the use of radar detectors.,'allstate believes that the main purpose of these devices is to enable motorists to avoid detection and apprehension for exceeding the lawful speed limit. Moreover, the company concludes that the use of radar detectors provides encouragement for motorists to exceed established speed limits," the company says, adding that it approves of state laws prohibiting their use.

7 Dole Urged to Act On Rear Seat Belt Issue To Avoid Controversy FHWA Proposals 'Are Not Sufficient'

8 On The Inside Vol. INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY 202/333~ Editor: Associate Editor: Rea Writers: Sharon Rasmussen, Adrienne Production: Sheila Y. Jackson, The American Insurance American Insurers National Association of In- Association and several individual in- Contents may be repljoils;hed whole, or IISN X