In the wake of Toyota recalls, concern over safety has become more and more prevalent in the American auto industry.

In fact, one of the most heavily-hyped new safety features for 2011 is the inflatable rear seat belt option for Ford Explorer. If a crash occers and the seat belt is buckled, it will expand like an airbag, redistributing the force of impact across a wider area.

The innovation has received favorable press, with one omission: the seat belts were tested on human cadavers. Icky, right?

Here’s the thing though: it makes sense. “Even though we have very good math modeling of the dummies, human modeling hasn’t reached that state yet,” Priya Prasad, a former researcher with Ford, told Jalopnik.

Many tests are still performed using standard dummies, of course. But without the use of cadavers, there would be no way to know for sure how internal organs and tissues would be affected by innovation.

It’s not just Ford. While General Motors and Saab quickly denied 2008 reports that they used cadavers, many institutions do use them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds many cadaver tests across the country.

Overall? It may leave you with a queasy feeling. But these cadavers are sourced from the same pool as most major reasearch universities. And they’re making your vehicles a lot safer.

This was the fifth Air, Land and Speed operation of 2010. State police targeted Interstates 64 and 66, in anticipation of increased traffic as college students move back to school.

The campaign yielded just over 4,000 violators. 2,157 of those were (non-reckless) speeders, 394 were driving recklessly, and 9 were driving while intoxicated. Additionally, 152 were cited for not wearing seatbelts, and 25 felony/drug arrests were made.

“We are committed to making our interstates safer and Operation Air, Land and Speed helps us to achieve that goal,” says Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “By stepping up our presence on selected interstate corridors, we know it directly affects drivers’ behaviors and actions.”

The department also used this as an opportunity to remind motorists of the “Move Over” campaign—motorists must change lanes or slow down when passing an emergency or maintenance vehicle with lights flashing.

Typically, these operations are announced the day before they take place.

Now, red light cameras may seem like a controversial issue, but not compared to this. While it may seem normal for a DEA agents to want to know the every move of a suspect, this ruling establishes that citizens don’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy while parked in the driveway.

Historically, courts have determined that the area around the house (including the driveway), or the “curtilage,” warrants just as much privacy as the home itself. Now, that may be changing.

While Pineda-Moreno’s driveway was just feet from his home, the courts argue that it was not private, as it was open to strangers such as delivery people or neighborhood children, who may wander across uninvited.

While the lack of privacy is disturbing, this led to a second decision by the courts: once the device has been planted, the government is free to track you with it.

Luckily, other courts have recently come to different conclusions, albeit under different circumstances. This issue is likely to end up before the Supreme Court, so keep an eye on news sources regarding this case.

In the meantime, several websites have released guides to make sure you aren’t being tracked yourself—and how to prevent others from tracking you.

In January 2009, an open container of peanut butter in a Minnesota hospital was found to contain a strain of salmonella. The peanut butter was traced to plants owned by the Lynchburg-based company Peanut Corp. of America.

The company’s peanut products were linked to nine deaths and about 700 peoples’ illnesses overall. The company produced the brands Parnell’s Pride and King Nut, distributing peanut butter and peanut paste (a key ingredient in granola bars, dog biscuits, ice cream and cake). Around 3,500 products were recalled nationwide.

“It’s gratifying that the Judge had such positive comments about the proposed settlements and the efforts we made to obtain a just result for our clients,” said Bruce Clark of Marler Clark (a Seattle-based firm representing 50 of the claimants. “In the end we were able to fashion a good outcome from an awful situation.”

Peanut Corp. filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to dissolve amid fallout from the incident. Their insurer, Hartford Casualty Insurance Co., will distribute funds to the victims (additional funds for the settlement are being provided by Kellogg Co.).

While there is no way for the companies involved to make it up to the families who lost loved ones, they are lucky to have come so close to reaching a settlement within 18 months. With cases this complicated, it often takes years to see results.

Not every case goes to trial. The judge’s involvement in this case was mostly due to the fact that the company filed Bankruptcy.

If you have been involved in a similar case, it’s likely an insurance company will offer a settlement in order to avoid going to trial. If this is the case, make sure that the settlement is enough to cover your loss before accepting! An experienced attorney will be able to go over your case with you, and help you determine what to ask for. Contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free initial consultation.

The two day initiative is part of the state’s continuing traffic-safety program, Operation Air, Land and Speed.

“This weekend was specifically selected for an enforcement operation because of the significant increase in traffic associated with students heading off to college in and out of state,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Hopefully parents will have one less thing to worry about knowing more state police will be patrolling Virginia’s interstates looking for dangerous and reckless drivers.”

The additional units will be in place this Saturday, August 21, through Sunday night, August 22.

The VSP release encouraged college-age students to make safe driving a priority. Preliminary reports show 46 Virginians ages 18-20 died in traffic accidents between January and August 2010. Traffic deaths for 18-year-olds in Virginia are up 78% since last year.

As there will be more vehicles and troopers on the road, keep Virginia’s “Move Over” law in mind—if an emergency vehicle (flashing blue lights) or maintenance vehicle (flashing amber lights) is stopped on the side of the road, move a lane over, or if unable to do so, slow down.

The last time police conducted this campaign, they cited 973 speeders, 226 reckless drivers, and 105 seat belt violators in one day.

If possible, you may want to avoid these interstates this weekend due to the increased traffic.

Of course, saying you were held at gunpoint isn’t necessarily the best way to get out of that. Beau Heyser, of Helena, Montana definitely knows this.

When he called 911 at around 10:30 p.m. last Thursday evening, he told police that two men had flagged him down on a rural road, then kidnapped him. According to court documents filed, Heyser stated the men held him at gunpoint in the moving van he rented, then drove into the mountains.

Heyser told sheriff’s deputies that one man drove the moving van, while another followed in a pickup truck. He stated the van got stuck, and the hijackers told him to take off his shoes and run. The sheriff’s department responded to the area, where they found Heyser waiting with the van.

That’s not all. The department also deployed a 16-person SWAT team and 12-person Department of Homeland Security aircraft to find the kidnappers.

According to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, authorities kicked into high gear in case the two “men” were actually the two of America’s most wanted fugitives, John McCluskey and his fiancee/cousin (you read that right) Casslyn Welch. McCluskey and Welch are suspected to be hiding in Montana.

“I don’t know if they’re here or not. We thought ‘oh geez, I hope this guy is right and it’s two men and not a male and a female,” Dutton told local papers.

However, shortly after the SWAT team and aircraft were called up, Heyser came clean to the deputies. Court documents indicate he confessed to trying a shortcut between highways and got lost. While trying to get straightened out, he go the van stuck in a ravine.

Knowing he couldn’t pay for a truck to pull him out, he called in his kidnapping story.

Deputies arrested Heyser on a misdemeanor charge (giving false reports to law enforcement authorities). Heyser was ordered to pay a $335 fine and received a suspended jail sentence of six months. He is also responsible for a little over $1,500 in restitution costs to all responding law enforcement agencies who responded.

While car accidents are awful, tow trucks are certainly a necessary evil. However, if you are involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to restitution to cover you medical expenses and damage to your vehicle.

Knowing beforehand what to do if you’re involved in an accident can save valuable time. Request your free copy of The Virginia Car Accident Guide today.

The recall was issued due to a potential fire hazard with the product: wires inside the monitor can overheat and burn. About 800 (Model LV-TW300) were sold in the United States. Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return to the manufacturer, Circus World by calling 866-946-7828 between 8 am and 5 pm ET (M-F), or by e-mail support@svat.com.

These products were sold in BB Buggy and Health and Safety stores, as well as on the Internet.

Today, the NHTSA submitted the report to Congress, including a breakdown of exactly what they found in the 58 electronic data recorders.

Of the 58 cases studied:
35 recorders show that no brake was applied at all.
14 cases involved partial braking.
9 cases showed braking late in the crash sequence.
3 involved early braking.
2 involved midsequence braking.
1 showed that both the gas and brake pedal were depressed.
1 case involved an incident of pedal entrapment.

In one case, the recorder only recorded information from a separate incident. There were five cases in which the EDR wasn’t even triggered, and one case in which NHTSA is still attempting to resolve inconclusive data.

“Pedal entrapment” and “sticking gas pedals” were the two known defects on these vehicles, however only one incident was conclusively shown to be caused by them.

NHTSA officials state that they have drawn no conclusions at this point, stating that this is only one portion of the full investigation.

Zoe Wiseman, however, had a pretty big clue: a ticket for jaywalking issued by the Metropolitan Police Department. Hospital staff told Zoe that it arrived with her in the ambulance.

The ticket was only $25, but that’s certainly not what infuriates Zoe.

“The police never even followed up with me,” she told local news crews via Skype. The accident left her with three skull fractures, a broken cheek, three cracked ribs and a broken pelvis. As far as she knows, she was unconscious when issued the ticket.

According to DC police spokesman Lt. Nicholas Breul, she shouldn’t have been found responsible for the accident without the opportunity to argue her case.

“That generally is not the way we would handle that,” he said, noting that he didn’t know all the circumstances. “Generally, when people are injured, you are to go to the hospital, interview that person…Simply leaving a notice of infraction on a hospital gurney with the patient is not proper service.”

Indeed. With such extensive injuries, it is likely that Zoe’s medical bills will amount to more than she can handle on her own.

If she were to bring a civil suit in order to help cover damages, the ticket could certainly be a hinderance. A thorough, experienced attorney would need to address the validity of service of the ticket, as well as the accompanying police report in order to proceed.

In a city where on average, a pedestrian (or cyclist) is struck by a car every day, issuing a citation at an accident scene is a frequent occurrence. But officers should be sure that the victim is lucid enough to give a full report.

Automobiles can certainly do a lot of damage to pedestrians. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free initial consultation. Hiring an experienced attorney can be the key difference in your case.

But before getting on the roads, be sure to watch out for downed power lines. There have already been reports of several road closures for felled lines.

photo via Dominion Power

Most of us know to watch for slick roads and the occasional tree branch after a storm, but it’s hard to remember to be on the lookout for downed lines, as they are harder to see.

If you do come across one, be sure to apply moderate pressure to your brakes (you don’t want to skid out of control and risk crossing a “live” line). All power companies recommend assuming that any downed power line you come across is energized and dangerous. Stay at least 10 feet away from the wire.

If you end up driving over one, or a line falls on your car, call 9-1-1 immediately. DO NOT try to get out of your car, or let anyone outside touch your car. Why? Your car is metal, a conductor for electricity. If the wire is live (and you should assume it is) anyone who touches it could be fatally injured.

While you should always be driving with car during or right after inclement weather, accidents do happen. Know what to do if you’re involved in a car accident—request your FREE copy of the Virginia Car Accident Guide today.