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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
An agency’s serious failure
Federal regulators knew about Toyota’s problems but let them go for years
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
George Yago Jr. and his wife, Maureen, were killed in 2004 after their car crashed through the fourth-floor wall of the Golden Nugget’s parking garage and plunged over the side. Why the car crashed is a mystery.
As Steve Kanigher reported in Sunday’s Las Vegas Sun, the coroner thought the 83-year-old driver might have had a stroke, but the autopsy was inconclusive. Investigators wondered if he had accidentally hit the wrong pedal, but witnesses saw the car’s brake lights come on as it pulled into a space. One witness said the car made a complete stop.
The couple’s son, George Yago III, now wonders if it was the car. The couple were driving a 2002 Toyota Camry, and last year the carmaker faced a rash of complaints about its cars suddenly accelerating on their own. In 2004, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration looked into the issue but largely dismissed the complaints after Toyota said it had done a “thorough investigation” and couldn’t find a problem. Agreeing with the automaker, the highway administration said applying the brake should resolve any problem with sudden acceleration.
Since then, the nation has learned that’s not necessarily the case — there have been dozens of deaths and injuries attributed to the problem of runaway Toyotas, including those whose drivers applied the brake. The agency took action only after a wave of outrage last year, and Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles.
It shouldn’t have taken that long to address the problem. The highway administration had plenty of information about problems with Toyotas in 2004. Two members of Congress have called the agency’s initial review seriously flawed, and that is putting it mildly.
As Kanigher reported, a Metro detective investigating the Yagos’ crash contacted highway administration investigators, who told him there had been “numerous complaints” about 2002 and 2003 Camrys. A month before the Yagos’ crash, one of the agency’s investigators suggested in an internal memo there was a “reasonable probability” that the Camrys’ “throttle system may have a defect that could result in an (unintended acceleration),” noting that two Toyota service bulletins had warned of possible “engine surging” in the vehicles.
The investigator noted that most of the incidents happened when the vehicles were driving at slow speeds in places like parking lots. Another agency investigator said that in some situations — like when parking — the unintended acceleration could result in a crash because the driver wouldn’t have time to use the brakes.
However, the investigators never inspected the Yagos’ Camry, even though they were given the opportunity by the family’s lawyer. Instead, the highway administration minimized the scope of its inquiry into Toyota’s problem and tried to close the book on the issue.
The agency failed to do its job, and it put the American public needlessly at risk for years. Had the agency vigorously pursued the issue, it might have prevented many crashes and injuries. But safety advocates say the agency has neither the staffing it needs, nor the expertise to handle the increasingly sophisticated onboard computer systems.
That needs to change. Congress should make sure the agency has what it needs and hold it accountable to do its job.
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As with Wall Street, the Mortgage Industry, the construction industry or the petroleum industry; the problem with the auto industry is not enough effective government regulation. The libertarian loonies, that would turn the clock back to the 1800's, must be cast as the throwbacks they are.
The Erie Canal, the Transcontinental railroad, the Panama Canal, the Interstate Highway system, the Space program, the GI Bill -- government has propelled us into a better way of life.
The teaparty, the big industry funded think tanks like: Cato, Heritage and Freedomworks would bring back child labor, end the minimum wage and Social Security and lower the wage of the average American to third world levels.
mred......
Good post. I agree with you 100%. Contrary to what those on the right will tell you, the American public needs the protection of government regulation.....
People like the Cato group would have you believe that the "free market" will always do what is right and will always regulate itself.......Nonsense! Total nonsense!
Hi El_Lobo,
I completely agree with you and, just to add to your comment, would note that those who believe the free market will regulate itself miss the point that it first commits crimes against humanity then offers to regulate itself and then commits many of the same crimes again.
Without laws to provide a framework preventing harmful actions or forcing proper action and effective enforcement of such laws, this is what occurs over generations. Child labor anyone? Degradation of our environment? Only the foolish believe in self regulation.
Its called regulator capture and free market types have known about it for a century now. 30 years ago Milton Friedman wrote a famous chapter in his Free to Choose book, "Who Regulates the Regulators?" a good question supporters of massive government regulation can rarely answer.
MsShaffer, check Historical Statistics yourself, but child labor had been on a long decline well before government banned it. In fact, government more or less jumped in front of the anti-child labor parade and claimed victory. Market forces resulted in a decline in child labor as parents earned greater incomes freeing their children to attend school rather than work to sustain the family.
El Lobo, nonsense. You've once again painted a strawman out of personal ignorance. Cato Institute doesn't advocate the elimination of all regulation, just the elimination of bad regulation and overregulation.
Have you seen the latest Toyota ad? It says at the end " ... We now know that safety is important to you" or words very similar to that. Do they really mean that they didn't know that before?
More likely what they really meant was "Safety is now important to us since we screwed the pooch."
Gibby....
Believe what you will.....You simply don't get it! You have some very weird beliefs,
and you believe that the "free market" solves all problems.
You actually believe that you know more about a particular topic, such as the building of the transcontinental railroad, than prominent historians who have done massive research on the subject...
I find it hard to believe that you have a degree in government, and yet be so limited in
your knowledge of history. One drives the other......
That group you're a "hired gun" for, saw you coming.....I don't care how much you're
paid for what you do, you're no more than an errand boy for them....
Have a nice day!
Patrick:
"Who Regulates the Regulators?" a good question supporters of massive government regulation can rarely answer.
First of all your statement contains bias that people support massive government. That is so wrongheaded that knowing you believe it makes your opinions unworthy of serious debate or consideration.
Simple answer to your contrived bias laden thoughts and meanderings masquerading as intelligentsia here is that "we the people" regulate the regulators. You and your fellow big business whores know this, hence your constant attempts at propaganda.
Your side may win because you have more money, no conscience and no Godly values, but I will sit in Heaven with my Father.
It is not for me to judge others final judgment. That will be between you and the Godhead. Based upon your writings and your inability to be honest I would ask God for direction in your career.
God Bless you.
El Lobo, If my beliefs are so wrong, why do you struggle proving them wrong? Rarely to do ever turn to evidence and when counterpoints are presented you put your head in the sand. You rely on references to Nazis and other logical fallacies to get by. That isn't debate or intellectual inquiry or honesty, its dogmatism.
As for "hired gun" nonsense, I'm on here for fun. You return to this statement because you don't have the facts to back up your own position. Should I ignore you because you are a democrat? Should I ignore you because you work for government or are a member of a union?
Jeff, everyone has a bias. Everyone has an ideology don't pretend like you don't.
Explain how we the people regulate the regulators. The regulators are not elected. They are government employees with bargaining agreements that make it difficult to fire them no matter how incompetent and inefficient they are.
Next, don't give rhetoric and platitudes about morals. Give me a break. Taking money from people by forcing and to pay your own salaries and benefit your own friends does not make you a morally good person. In regards to money, K-12 education alone spends $4 billion a year -- how many businesses spend that much in Nevada? Not many and there are many more government agencies all unified to take and spend more money because there is little accountability pushing them to be more efficient.
Patrick:
I stand by my statement and wish to spend no more time educating you. I am not sure you are salvageable in the long term anyway.
Interesting though when you talk about morality it is where you seem most rabid.
When your side is willing to accept reality and come across the aisle you may (I doubt much) bring something to the table. Until then you are anarchists in our midst. Anarchists wishing to eliminate the middle class.
Spoken like a closed minded true believer...
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/884
The pattern behind self-deception
Gibby said...
"As for "hired gun" nonsense, I'm on here for fun."
Ha! Ha! Ha! I wonder how many people actually believe that pile of "horse manure?"
You and I will never agree....The same can be said about you and most people on this board...
You're in your own little world but that has been evident since you first joined the board in September of 2009.....
Keep telling yourself that the "free market" solves all problems.
Keep telling yourself that the Middle Class in this country is better off than ever before...
Keep telling yourself that such things as the building of the Transcontinental Railroad was a waste of money...
Keep telling yourself that Social Security is going broke...
Keep telling yourself......
Keep telling yourself......
El Lobo, what is evident is that you ignore what people say and fill in blanks with your own fantasy. What is spit out is logical fallacies like your latest strawman. I've never said the free market solves all problems. Never.
The middle class is better off than ever before. We have bigger homes, more stuff, larger tvs, dvd players, a/c so on and so forth
The transcontinental railroad was a waste of money, I sent you a wikipedia link with criticism from the 1800s that stated the US government paid about $90 million for a rail system worth about $50 million.
And yes, Social Security is going broke. Only people with their heads stuck in the sand say otherwise. SS is already operating in the red this year. It will do so permanently by 2017 and the "trust fund" will be exhausted by 2037. THIS IS DATA FROM THE US GOVERNMENT!!!!
You continue to prove that you are a dogmatic fundamentalist who doesn't care for the facts.
Question: Is Social Security only able to be funded from the "trust fund" or can it draw from the general fund??? If the later even if Legislative approval is needed how can it be "broke" or "exhausted" as these terms would relate to an individual funding something??
Hmmmmmm....I think I hit a nerve or two with my little buddy. No surprise there!
Gibby is now attempting to back track....
His numerous posts clearly point out that he believes that the "free market" solves all problems, big & small. Anyone who has followed his rant on this board knows that...
He denies he ever said that but what's new?
If America's Middle Class is better off now than at any time in our history, then some one forgot to tell the millions and millions who are currently out of work and have seen their homes go into foreclosure...
My whole point with the transcontinental railroad is that it paid for itself a hundred times over. The economic benefits derived from the completion of the road, and its use for the next 50 years, was a boon to the American people, the American economy.
That wasn't something that I came up with...that's what many American historians have consistently said...
Ambrose repeats that time after time in his book, "Nothing Like It In The World."
You should read it....great read & great information!
Social Security will not go broke. Congress will not allow that to happen. The party most responsible for allowing the system to "belly-up." will cease to exist if that should come about.....
The American people love their Social Security and they will see that it continues long into the future...
Remember the 1980's when Reagan was in office? Dutch was smart enough to know that he had to work with Congress and fix the system.....that's what happened and will happen again...
One of your major problems is that you love to find stats that back-up your strange arguments, and then you expect all of us to fall for your little scam, hook, line & sinker...
You are a propagandist....nothing more! Of course that's what you get paid to do....
I repeat what I said earlier to you...
"I find it hard to believe that you have a degree in government, and yet be so limited in
your knowledge of history. One drives the other......"
Good evening....
"Contrary to what those on the right will tell you, the American public needs the protection of government regulation....."
Right. Listen morons, the NTSB is part of the federal government and the federal government owns a large part of General Motors. And those trusting souls at the head of the labor unions are leading our politicians around by the noses.
Yes, we can trust the federal government to regulate fairly and effectively.
I will not question my liberal puppet-masters.
I will not question my liberal puppet-masters.
I will not question my liberal puppet-masters.
I will not question my liberal puppet-masters.
I will not question my liberal puppet-masters.
We already beat you anti-union, greedy
republicans.
We Democrats are keeping our labor unions
strong.
Sending all of our good jobs to Communist China
backfired on republicans.
Many non-union Americans can't afford homes
anymore.
Without a strong middle class, America is doomed
Live better, work union and stop buying Toyotas.
Yes El lobo you struck a nerve. Dogmatic partisans who bury their head in the sand when they see facts they don't like, annoy me. You are one of the most illogical and irrational persons on this board (and similarly consistent with vidi to the point I think that is just your other screen name so you have someone to agree with you). You consistently refuse to listen to your opposition and you normally respond with ad-hom fallacies, red herrings, straw men and a considerable overuse of the word "Nazi"
Gibby....
Flattery will get you no where!