December 23, 2009
Holiday Driving Safety Quiz
Answers Below
We don’t need to remind you that this weekend will be a heavy drinking one — if not for you, at least for many drivers on the road. But we would like to take this time to remind you — or perhaps even teach you — of some startling facts about drinking and driving. Did you know, for instance, that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every two minutes? Or that three of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives?
Here’s a quiz to test your knowledge about other drinking-and-driving facts. You’ll find the correct answers below this post (no peeking!).
1. True or False: To legally operate a motor vehicle in the United States, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must be lower than .08 percent.
2. On average, a driver makes over how many decisions per mile?
A. 50
B. 75
C. 150
D. 200
3. Nearly how many people are arrested each year in the U.S. for driving while intoxicated (DWI)?
A. 500,000
B. 750,000
C. 1,000,000
D. 1,500,000
4. An average 170-pound man typically must have more than how many drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 percent BAC level?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
5. An average 137-pound woman reaches .08 percent BAC after about how many drinks in an hour on an empty stomach?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
6. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every ____ minutes.
A. 9
B. 21
C. 31
D. 45
7. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every ____ minutes.
A. 2
B. 9
C. 18
D. 27
8. How many out of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
9. What percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol in 2005?
A. 15
B. 22
C. 39
D. 79
10. What percent of persons killed or injured in crashes from midnight to 3 a.m. were alcohol-related in 2005?
A. 46
B. 55
C. 68
D. 75
11. True of False: January and December were the months with the highest crash rates in 2005.
12. True or False: Christmas and New Year’s Day were the holiday periods with the highest numbers of persons killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in 2005.
13. True or False: Wearing your seatbelt can reduce your risk of dying in a traffic crash by about 50 percent.
1. True: Operating a motor vehicle at or above a BAC of .08 percent is a criminal offense in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. .08 percent is the level at which the fatal crash risk significantly increases and the majority of drivers, even experienced drinkers, are seriously impaired with regard to critical driving tasks including: braking, steering, lane changing, judgment, and response time.
2. Answer: D
3. Answer: D
4. Answer: D
5. Answer: C
6. Answer: C
7. Answer: A
8. Answer: C
9. Answer: C
10. Answer: D
11. True: In 2005, December was the month with the highest crash rate (247), followed by January (238), November (228), February (222), and October (212)
12. False: In 2005, more people were killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving holiday periods than both the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods.
13. True: Wearing your seatbelt can reduce your risk of dying in a traffic crash by 45 percent in a car and as much as 60 percent in a truck or SUV.
December 17, 2009
Holiday Safety Tips
It’s that time of year! Friends, family, shopping, dining and…crime? While anytime is a good time to think about personal safety and crime prevention, Philip DeBerard would like to remind citizens of some easy techniques that will help keep them and their property safe during the holidays!
CAR PROWL PREVENTION
• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, take a moment to look around the area.
• Turn off and lock your car whenever you have to walk away from it. This includes at gas pumps, ATM machines, etc. Never leave your car idling.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Leave No Valuables in Your Car. Never leave valuables in your car. Items of little or no value to you still look inviting to a thief. Even pocket change is enough of an enticement for some thieves.
• If you must leave valuables in your car (say you’re out shopping and still have some stops to make), make sure that nothing of value is within plain view. Place items in your car trunk out of sight. Do this when you get to your car, rather than waiting until you park at your next stop. Often, people will arrive at their destination and then put items in the trunk. They’ve just shown anyone who may be around that they just put valuables in the trunk and then walked away from their vehicles. So, if you are going to put something in your trunk, place it in before you get to your destination so you don’t show everyone that you’ve just put valuables in your trunk.
• Don’t leave accessories visible in your car. You may have taken the Laptop or IPod in with you, but if you leave the USB cables for your laptop or earbuds for the IPod in the back seat, the offender may think those items are in the car and break in anyway.
• Think about how the GPS is mounted in your car. If the mounting for the GPS is visible, the thief may think the GPS is in the glove box or under the seat and may break in to try to get it. Have removable mounting for the GPS and put that out of sight as well.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage. Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• If you park in a paid lot, use lots that have attendants.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit. Motion detectors are a good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them. Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.
• You may want to consider an alarm system for the car. An alarm will not prevent anyone from gaining entry or damaging the car, but the noise of the alarm will draw attention to the car and therefore to the thief. Additionally, many alarm systems have a blinking red light mounted on the dash. That visible indicator may be a deterrent to would be thieves.
November 30, 2009
HOW TO HANDLE A RUNAWAY CAR
One of the most frightening driving experiences is unintended acceleration, a problem highlighted by a Toyota recall that was issued after a California family in a Lexus ES 350 was killed in such an incident.
The first thing you should do is press and hold the brakes and shift the transmission into neutral. Then use your brakes to bring the car to a stop on the side of the road and shut off the engine. Shift the car into park.
Consumer Reports engineers found that it’s difficult to stop some vehicles with a stuck throttle at highway speeds by pressing on the brakes alone. Worse, pumping the brakes even once could cause the system to lose its power assist, making it difficult or impossible to stop the car. But in four vehicles tested they were able to nudge the shifter into neutral and stop the car quickly.
Shutting off the engine is potentially more dangerous than shifting into neutral because you could lose the power steering, making it harder to control the car. With modern vehicles that have a key less, push button ignition, you may need to hold the button in for about 3 seconds before the engine shuts off. Unfortunately, at high speed the car could go a full football field or more during those 3 seconds.
Practice shifting from drive to neutral at low speeds in an open parking lot to get the feel of the emergency procedure in case you ever need to do it. See the free video “how to stop your car during sudden acceleration at www.consumerreports.org
November 1, 2009
Safe and Cheap: The Best Cars for New Grads
High schools and colleges will be handing out diplomas soon — if they haven’t already — and that means a lot of parents will be considering whether to hand out car keys to help send their new graduates into the world.
Even before the economy soured, buying a car for a young driver presented tough choices. Many cars that are cheap lack the safety technology parents want. Cars that have advanced safety technology often aren’t cheap. Then there’s the question of reliability.
And what about finding the perfect blend of safety and practicality in a car that would be really cool to be seen driving? Well, kids, beggars can’t be choosers
Several years ago, when I had cars to buy for my teenage children, I devised the Eyes on the Road “Teen Car Search System.” It’s pretty simple: To filter out the dozens of different vehicles on the market, I use safety and crash-test information from the Web sites of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and quality and reliability scores from Consumer Reports, the nonprofit product-analysis publisher.
To make the list, a vehicle should have “good” ratings from the IIHS for front and side crash protection, four or five stars for front and side driver protection from the NHTSA, and at least an average reliability rating from Consumer Reports.
To further narrow the field of vehicles, I eliminated from consideration some classes of vehicles that experts at the IIHS and Consumer Reports agree are inappropriate for younger drivers: pickup trucks, body-on-frame sport-utility vehicles such as the Ford Explorer and the Toyota 4Runner, high-powered sports cars and very small cars.
Pickups and SUVs are out because of their comparatively high centers of gravity, which make them more prone to rollover accidents, particularly in inexperienced hands. Safety experts don’t like very small cars for younger drivers because in a crash, they afford less protection than a larger vehicle — though some small cars have good crash test scores.
High-powered sports cars are a bad choice for obvious reasons, and for one in particular: Single-vehicle crashes in which a driver loses control, often at high speed, are the most common type of fatal accident among teen drivers, says David Champion, director of vehicle testing for Consumer Reports magazine. The insurance industry also frowns on young drivers with hot rods, and will charge jacked-up rates if you give in to your son or daughter’s plea for a Mustang GT or a car like the one I own, a Subaru Impreza WRX.
Unless you are feeling very generous, you needn’t spring for a new vehicle. Teens can get by just fine with a car that’s lightly to moderately used. In assembling this year’s list, I focused on cars that are likely to cost $20,000 or less in the categories that follow
Used Luxury Cars
Cars worth a look in this category include the 2003-06 Lexus ES and the 2006 Audi A4. Mr. Champion says he bought one of his children an Acura TSX, a four-cylinder car with good quality ratings. It fell off my list of used luxury cars because the IIHS rates 2005-08 models only “average” for side-impact protection. (The 2009 Acura TSX earns “good” ratings for both front and side impacts.)
Crossover vehicles, which are built on the same underpinnings as sedans, are less likely to roll over than truck-based SUVs. They may be practical choices for college graduates who want a wagon to facilitate a nomadic lifestyle. Among those that have good crash-test scores and reliability ratings are the Ford Edge, Honda Element and Toyota RAV 4. You should be sure a vehicle of that class has stability control, says Anne Fleming of the Insurance Institute.
Finally, if your graduate demands a “green” car, a used Toyota Prius makes the cut. It scored “good” on the IIHS front and side crash tests, though the NHTSA rated it four stars out of five on its front and side crash tests. The Prius has much better-than-average reliability ratings from Consumer Reports. Stability control was an option on 2004-09 models.
Of course, if your son or daughter is truly ecology-minded, he or she will be satisfied with a nice bike — and maybe a cut of the thousands you saved by not buying a car
October 19, 2009
What’s a Sense of Smell Worth?
For a Port St. Lucie woman, a sense of smell was worth $450,000. That’s the amount Stuart attorney Philip DeBerard obtained for her in an insurance settlement.
The young woman fractured a bone in her middle ear when she unbuckled her seat belt and attempted to get out of her boyfriend’s parked car. In an effort to keep her from leaving the vehicle, her boyfriend slammed on the gas pedal, accelerating instead of stopping, ignoring a stop sign, and making a sharp turn at 20 miles per hour. The force of this maneuver threw the young woman out of the car and onto the pavement, where she violently hit her head and fractured the right temporal bone in her auditory canal (middle ear).
The injury left the 18-year-old woman with anosmia — a permanent loss of smell — and a partial loss of taste. Prior to this accident, the young woman was very healthy and active, attending school and working part-time. Now, she will not be able to smell the flowers on her wedding day, the salt air at the beach, the special smell of a freshly clean and powdered baby, or even a dangerous gas leak in her house.
October 6, 2009
Tire Pressure Monitors? Can You Rely on Them?
Drivers Must Still Be Vigilant, Even With TPMS
By Mac Demere, Contributor edmunds.com
Here’s a quiz: What might it mean when your car’s tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light is not illuminated?
a) Your tires may have plenty of pressure for all situations;
b) Your tire pressures might be so low that they may overheat and blow out;
c) Your tire pressures might be so low that the tires have little traction for wet roads or accident avoidance;
d) All of the above.
The answer is “d.” And “D” is the best grade some tire safety experts, consumer groups and drivers may give tire-pressure monitoring systems. Why? Because TPMS will warn you only when a tire is severely — perhaps dangerously — underinflated.
TPMS: Mandated by the Federal Government
If you’re driving a car, truck or SUV built in the past few years, there’s a good chance that it has a TPMS. Starting with all 2008 models, in fact, it’s a required feature. In response to the rollover incidents involving the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires, Congress enacted the TREAD Act in 2000. Part of this act got the process moving for having a TPMS in every vehicle.
An illuminated tire-pressure warning light symbol looks like the cross-section of a tire with an exclamation point in it. But due to a variety of considerations from tire companies and automakers, a TPMS warning light isn’t required to come on until a tire is 25 percent underinflated.
“[This is] well below the pressure required for safe driving,” says the American Automobile Association. This is partially because the recommended pressure for some vehicles is barely adequate to carry the vehicle’s maximum load, according to the Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (RMA). This means if you’re driving a minivan full of high school football players or a pickup with a bed full of damp mulch on a slightly underinflated tire, it could overheat and blow out.
Only as Good as the Driver
In theory, a TPMS is just one more feature that helps a driver understand the safety of his or her car. But it’s effective only if drivers are still vigilant about checking their car’s tire pressures.
People who rely on the TPMS to warn them about low pressure are taking their chances. A worrisome survey conducted by the RMA revealed that 40 percent of motorists say they would never check their tire pressure unless the TPMS light came on.
And once the light does come on, of course, some people might wait days to get around to filling their tires. In addition to being a safety hazard, low tire pressure decreases fuel economy and causes tires to wear out more quickly — all reasons to be vigilant.
Losing Control Before the TPMS Illuminates
From personal experience on the racetrack and test track, I know how poorly a car handles in emergency situations with a tire underinflated by even a small amount.
But everyday drivers are also at risk. During driving demonstrations, I’ve ridden with hundreds of non-professional drivers in cars with low air pressure. They drove around a wet-handling course in two identical cars: one with proper pressure and the other with rear tire pressure intentionally set 23 percent low.
When the rear tire pressure was low, many drivers lost control and spun out before they had completed a single lap.
If you reversed the situation — properly inflate rear tires but reduce pressure in the front tires — the car won’t respond appropriately when you turn the steering wheel. It will just plow straight ahead.
The accompanying photos, taken by Michelin engineers, explain much of what’s happening. A vehicle moving at 60 mph passed over a glass plate covered by 5mm of green-colored water. When inflated to the recommended 35 psi, the tire kept much of its tread on the surface. When pressure was lowered to 30 psi, less of the tire stayed in contact with the surface. When pressure was dropped to 25 psi, almost the entire tire literally floated on top of the water.
The accompanying infrared photos show that underinflating a tire just 5 psi can potentially cause a tire failure. An underinflated tire flexes more than a properly inflated tire, and that creates heat. Excessive heat can break down components and chemical bonds inside a tire: It’s much like bending a wire coat hanger: Bend it far enough and long enough, and it’ll heat up and snap. This is especially important when the weather is hot and speeds are high.
Where Do Automakers and the Government Stand?
So why didn’t the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) require that the warning light illuminate sooner, before the pressure dips too far? According to NHTSA spokesman Eric Bolton, “The TPMS regulations were meant to warn drivers that a tire failure is imminent, not to indicate unsafe handling might occur.”
From the standpoint of the automakers, having a TPMS that activates at a lower threshold is problematic from a false warning perspective. Changes in temperature can have a dramatic effect on tire pressure. The concern is that frequent tire pressure warnings would cause drivers living in places with extreme temperature fluctuations to ignore the systems entirely.
Indirect Vs. Direct TPMS
Much more useful to drivers are the type of systems that actually display the pressure of each tire. There are two types of TPMS: indirect and direct. The lower-cost, indirect TPMS doesn’t actually monitor air pressure. Rather, indirect systems use the antilock braking system’s wheel-speed sensors to detect that one tire is rotating faster than its mates. (An underinflated tire has a smaller circumference so it has to roll faster to keep up.) Thus, the margin of error of indirect systems is large.
Meanwhile, direct TPMS measure a tire’s actual pressure. Expensive versions are accurate to within 1 psi. Current direct systems use a gauge mounted to the wheel or tire valve. This gauge sends a signal to the car’s computer. When you see the warning light from a direct system, trust it and immediately check your tire pressures.
Until recently, if a moderately priced car had TPMS, it was likely an indirect system. Only super-high-performance cars and those equipped with run-flat tires had the more expensive direct systems. In order to meet the full requirements of NHTSA’s TPMS standard, however, almost all new cars have direct systems. With direct TPMS, an automaker can also decide whether to display the actual pressures for each tire via a multifunction display or just rely on the warning light.
Rely on Yourself
On new cars, the automaker’s recommended pressure is on a placard on the driver’s doorjamb. On older cars it can be on the trunk lid, fuel door, glovebox, center console lid, passenger’s doorjamb or in your owner’s manual. It’s not on the tire.
Rely on TPMS to warn you only of a puncture or an active air leak. If you take away only one thing from this article, this is it: It’s your responsibility as a driver to check your tire pressures monthly, or at least to have them checked by someone else.
Mac Demere is a vehicle tester and race driver who competed in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and Daytona 24 Hours.
August 15, 2009
Florida Underage Drunk Driving
Drunk driving laws exist for a reason – to protect passengers and drivers against devastating injuries due to drivers who are on the roads while under the influence. While drunk driving is a nationwide problem, it is particularly dangerous when young people are behind the wheel – and businesses and individuals can face consequences if they serve alcohol to teenagers and people under age 21.
Florida’s drunk driving law (also known as the dram shop law) allows the victims of drunk driving accidents to sue liquor-licensed companies, such as restaurants, bars or hotels, who knowingly serve alcohol to underage drinkers. If a bar does not ask for ID or ignores a blatantly fake ID card, they may share liability with a drunk teen who gets into a car crash after drinking at their establishment and causes injury or death.
In addition, parents of minors who knowingly serve alcohol can be on the hook if the teens drive drunk. While social hosts are not responsible if over-21 drinkers imbibe at their house, then get into a drunk driving accident, they can face penalties and may pay hefty damages in drunk-driving lawsuits involving teens.
Liquor stores generally do not face the strict liability imposed on social hosts and drinking establishments because they sell closed containers. If they sell a closed container to a minor who then leaves the premises, they are usually not responsible for injury, property damage or death related to a teenage drunk driving accident resulting from liquor bought at their store.
If you are thinking about filing a lawsuit against an establishment that served liquor to a minor, be prepared to find evidence to support your claim. Bank statements can reveal transactions at the bar in question, while video cameras can record negligent actions. These and other avenues should be explored by the experienced crime victim accident attorney you retain for your lawsuit.
The law is complex and often confusing – don’t go it alone if you’ve suffered property damage or injury due to a teenage drunk driving accident. Look for a Florida crime victim attorney with experience investigating and litigating Florida teenage drunk driving claims. He or she will be able to evaluate your case and tell you whether it’s worth pursuing in court. If your claim is convincing and well-documented, a jury can award you financial damages relating to calculable and non-calculable losses.
CONTACT THE ACCIDENT LAW OFFICES OF PHILIP DEBERARD FOR A FREE DRIVERS SAFETY CONTRACT FOR PARENTS AND NEW DRIVERS. CALL 1-800-299-8878
www.flainjurylawyer.com
August 6, 2009
DUI Penalties in Florida
Florida Law requires (section 316.193 of the Florida Statutes) requires that interlock devices be installed on vehicles of drivers that are convicted of a DUI.
Ignition Interlock Program
When you are convicted of a DUI in Florida you lose your license. The length of time you lose your license depends on your individual case. When you are eligible to get your license reinstated you may be required to have an ignition interlock device installed in your car.
DUI Conviction / Ignition Interlock Requirement
- First DUI Conviction / If court ordered
- First Conviction if 0.20 or minor in car / up to 6 months
- Second Conviction / At least 1 year
- Second Conviction if 0.20 or minor in car / At least 2 years
- Third Conviction / At least 2 years
In addition to the inconvenience of the Interlock device there are costs for installation and monthly calibration. The vehicle must be taken to a calibration facility monthly. Monthly appointments are available by appointment only and take approximately 45 minutes.
Costs to the Defendant
- $70 for installation
- $67.50 for monthly monitoring and calibration
- $100 refundable deposit
If you cannot afford the installation of the interlock device the court may order that a portion of your fine be allocated to cover the costs of installation.
How the Ignition Interlock Works
Here is a summary of a typical scenario with the Interlock Device.
1. Your breathe into the device to start the car
2. Five minutes later the device beeps and you have to breathe again
3. About every 30 minutes the Interlock beeps and you must breathe into it.
Each time you breathe into the Ignition Interlock device the data is recorded and transmitted to the Florida DMV, reports are available on the Internet.
July 16, 2009
Drivers Aren’t Making Next-of-kin Contact Information Available
Option passed in 2006 would make it easier for authorities to find loved ones after accidents
By C. Ron Allen South Florida Sun-SentinelJuly 15 2009
According to Maria Gallegos’driver’s license, she lived in Miami.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigating a fatal crash in Lantana on Saturday night thought her next of kin would be at that address. But they later found out her address was incorrect and her relatives lived in Delray Beach.
“When we pulled her driver’s license [record], it had no emergency contact on it,” said FHP Lt. Tim Frith, adding that investigators learned of the relative’s address from friends. It saved troopers hours by not having to look for her next of kin in Miami.
“However it could have done in a more expedient manner if that information had been provided,” Frith said.
Since Floridians were given the option of putting emergency contact information for two people in their driver’s license or state-issued identification card records in 2006, only 2.3 million of the state’s 15.5 million registered drivers have taken part.
Troopers, deputies and police often try to find family members by using license plates and driver’s licenses to look up the addresses of injured people. When the information is incorrect, outdated or no one else lives at the address, it can take officials hours or even days to locate family, they said.
Law enforcement and state officials say a license emergency contact number will allow law enforcement agencies and hospitals to quickly notify families in case of accidents. This would save time and anguish for families.
“In a crisis situation, having information available to a law enforcement officer so that one can be contacted means the difference of being able to say goodbye or not,” said state Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, who worked with the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to launch the Emergency Contact Information System, dubbed Tiff’s initiative.
“From a parent’s or spouse perspective, it is a great tool for law enforcement but also a real benefit to a loved one in a tragic situation or crisis,” he said.
The emergency database was named after Tiffiany Olson, 22, who, along with her boyfriend, Dustin Wilder, was killed in a motorcycle crash in December 2005.
According to Frith, law enforcement officials could not reach Olson’s mother, Christine, and Wilder’s family in Bradenton for hours after the wreck because they did not have any contact information.
Christine Olson searched every hospital in Manatee County for her daughter after hearing about the crash from a friend. Two hours later, she arrived at Manatee Memorial Hospital and a trooper handed her a bag with her daughter’s jewelry and told her Tiffiany’s body was already at the medical examiner’s office.
The database may also be invaluable where someone with Alzheimer’s disease might have trouble giving police accurate contact information, Frith said.
The data goes into the state’s secure driver’s license database, which only law enforcement officials can access, said Ann Nucatola, a spokeswoman for the DHSMV. Out-of-state police officers also can retrieve that information through data that’s listed on the license’s bar code, she said. For drivers who still have the old, laminated driver’s licenses, the information must be entered manually.
That less than 15 percent of the state’s licensed motorists are registered does not surprise law enforcement officials.
“So many people don’t know about it,” said Frith, who has been promoting the option every opportunity he gets. “It’s like the inception of the Move Over law. It all started in 2001-2002. Still, you’ll stop people and they’ll say, ‘I don’t know anything about the Move Over law.’ “
C. Ron Allen can be reached at crallen@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6611. Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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July 1, 2009
Firestone tire recall
Firestone FR380 tire recall …. NHTSA tire recall
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced the recall of 127,183 Firestone FR380 tires, size P235/75R15because of a potential safety defect.
The tires were manufactured between September 2007 and July 2008, and were produced with insufficient tread base gauge. Continued use ofthose tires may lead to vibration and groove cracking, while extended use could lead to tread distortion or tread separation and a loss of vehicle control.
Firestone’s parent company, Bridgestone, will notify owners and replace the tires free of charge.
Owners can call for more information, (800) 465-1904.
N.H.T.S.A. Firestone Tire Recall
Tire Brand Name / Tire Line / Tire Size: FIRESTONE / FR380 / P235/75R15
Production Dates: SEP 09, 2007 – JUL 02, 2008
Manufacturer: BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE NORTH AMERICA TIRE
Mfr’s Report Date: JUN 25, 2009
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09T007000 N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: TIRES:TREAD/BELT
Potential Number of Units Affected: 127183
Summary:
BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS TIRE OPERATIONS, LLC (BATO) IS RECALLING 127,183 FIRESTONE FR380 TIRES, SIZE P235/75R15, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 2007 THROUGH JULY 2, 2008. THESE TIRES WERE PRODUCED WITH INSUFFICIENT TREAD BASE GAUGE.
Consequence:
CONTINUED USE OF THE SUBJECT TIRES MAY LEAD TO VIBRATION AND GROOVE CRACKING. EXTENDED USE COULD LEAD TO TREAD DISTORTION OR TREAD SEPARATION AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy:
BATO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE AFFECTED TIRES FREE OF CHARGE. BATO WILL ALSO MOUNT AND BALANCE THE REPLACEMENT TIRES, ALL AT NO CHARGE OR EXPENSE TO THE OWNER. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JUNE 29, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BATO TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-465-1904 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT http://www.firestonetire.com
