In the News
Safety Ads Warn Drivers That SUVs Can Be Beastly USA TODAY reports on the ESUVEE campaign and on a recent University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study that found that "37% of drivers under the age of 25 involved in single-vehicle crashes roll over, compared with 29.9% of all drivers. Almost 40% of SUVs in single-vehicle accidents on roads with high speed limits overturned, compared with 15.2% on roads with speed limits under 25 miles per hour."
Read the full article here 01/31/05 |
CU joins in campaign to promote SUV safety CU is supporting the new SUV safety campaign launched Monday
morning by the State Attorney Generals. David Champion, CU's Auto Test
Division director, was a key speaker at the launch of the ESUVEE campaign January 31, 2005 at the Central Park Zoo. During the press
conference, the Attorney Generals revealed a large, woolly mammal that is an integral part of the safety campaign's print and TV advertisements. Read remarks by David Champion, CU Director of Automotive Testing. 01/31/05 |
| Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing finds electronic stability control is effective. IIHS finds electronic stability control is effective in reducing single-vehicle crash risk including the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes. Read the IIHS press release here. 11/14/04 |
| GM and Ford commit to adopt electronic stability control in new SUVs GM and Ford are reportedly "rushing" to adopt electronic stability control systems for their new lines of SUVs. According to the Washington Post, "the nation's two biggest automakers were quick to offer the new technology on 1.8 million vehicles after preliminary testing by the government and the insurance industry showed enormous safety benefits, especially for popular SUVs that ride high and are more likely to roll over during a crash." Read the full article on the Washington Post web site. 11/13/04 |
| 2004 Rollover Ratings from NHTSA This NHTSA link will tell you which vehicles tipped up and which did not and NHTSA's estimate of the vehicle's rollover risk. The vehicles with the lowest percentages that did not tip are the most stable, according to NHTSA's testing. Consumers Union will not recommend any vehicle that tips up in NHTSA's testing." Go to the 2004 NHTSA Rollover Ratings 10/08/04 |
| USA Today Report: Regulators Focus on Better Rollover Safety USA Today reported that NHTSA officials think safety belts "allow occupants to move too much, possibly hitting the roof and other parts of a vehicle when it is rolling." Read the full article here. 09/14/04 |
| Increase In SUV Rollover Deaths Prompts Call for Passage of Safety Provisions Preliminary estimates released April 28, 2004 by the government reveal the highest number of motor vehicle deaths since 1990 and a 10 percent increase in SUV rollover deaths in the past year, sounding a wake-up call to Congress that key auto-safety provisions must be passed immediately. Read full CU press release Department of Transportation press release (MSWord file) Read full NHTSA report. (Powerpoint file) 08/15/04 |
| Suzuki and Consumers Union Agree on Dismissal of Lawsuit We want to thank our readers who have supported Consumers Union throughout the course of this litigation. The case has been dismissed by joint agreement, and it cannot be re-filed. We no longer suggest that you write to Suzuki or General Motors about the case. CU continues to stand fully behind its testing and report on the Samurai, has issued no retraction or correction, and has paid nothing to Suzuki. Click on this link to see the full text of the Joint Public Statement announcing the resolution of the case. 07/08/04 |
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