Our Work / Press Room
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CfIR Sponsors Santa Barbara Fire Department Extrication Training!
August 20, 2010Giving back to our Community here in Santa Barbara has always been one of our goals!
We had the privilege of being able to work with Santa Barbara Fire Fighter Station 12 and Fire Chief Eric Peterson by donating our vehicles that have been rolled in our testing facility to create an elaborate setup in our parking lot for their extrication training. After they had attended a recent test of a 2010 Prius they were excited at the prospect of using these vehicles as subjects of training for their equipment such as the "Jaws of Life", pneumatic jacks, airbags, and vehicle security bracing. We positioned three of our vehicles equipped with two Hybrid II dummies and created a mock three vehicle rollover accident. The crew, vehicles, and equipment of Station 12 arranged by Captain Adam Estabrook and Captain Mike Klusyk were called into action at the scene. The training was as close to real life as we could stage it and they were very pleased with the challenge that we presented them.
We shot a full video from the time they began the process of evaluating the scene to final extrication of both dummies. The dummies were extracted in 30 minutes. The video is very informative and we were pleased that we could document this training for not only their purposes, but for the public to view as well. To obtain a copy of the video please email us and we will send you a DVD.
We hope to be able to work with all of the stations over the next year to use the salvage vehicles used in testing to create continued scenerios for their use in training. -
NHTSA decides on the12 & 15 Passenger Van Federal FMVSS 216 standard!
April 7, 2010In a response to the Petition for Reconsideration to the recent Federal Ruling FMVSS 216:
"Advocates et al. made a variety of additional arguments in support of their request, including ones related to how the agency has addressed reasonableness of costs in a prior rulemaking, a claim that the consequences of inadequate roof protection for larger vehicles is more severe than for light passenger vehicles, concerns about 15-passenger vans, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations and recommendations, and a claim that the agency’s cost-benefit analysis underestimates the number of lives that could be saved by much stronger roofs"....
"The petitioners stated that the greater weight of the heavier vehicle places higher loads on the roof and roof supports during a rollover. They also stated that certain heavier passenger vehicles will be even more inadequately protected from intrusive roof crush in rollover crashes than lighter passenger vehicles because they have long roofs and multi-row seating, especially 8- occupant large SUVs, and 12- and 15- passenger vans. They stated that the specified test requirements do not test the crush resistance of C-, D- and Epillars of heavier, longer passenger vehicles."
"Advocates et al. also noted that NHTSA has published repeated advisories and research analyses warning of the very high rollover propensity of 15-passenger vans. They stated in its latest research note, titled Fatalities to Occupants of 15-Passenger Vans, 2003–2007, NHTSA stressed that ‘‘15-passenger vans with 10 or more occupants had a rollover rate in single vehicle crashes that is nearly three times the rate of those that had fewer than five occupants.’’ They also noted that the research report indicated that, in 2007, fatalities of occupants of 15-passenger vans increased nearly 20 percent from the previous year, as well as other data from that report."
"The petitioners stated that NTSB also emphasized the need for much stronger roofs in heavy passenger vans both in its accident reports and in its comments filed with NHTSA rulemaking dockets on passenger vehicle roof crush resistance. Advocates et al. stated that in commenting on NHTSA’s NPRM to amend FMVSS No. 216, NTSB pointed out that heavier vehicles such as 12- and 15-passenger vans, not subjected to the roof strength standard, were experiencing patterns of roof intrusion greater than vehicles already subject to the requirements and cited two investigations it conducted concerning the safety need for vehicles between 2,722 and 4,536 kilograms (6,000 and 10,000 pounds) GVWR to meet roof crush resistance requirements."NHTSA denied the Petition, citing the cost to manufacturers would outweigh the benefit.
For a copy of the official Response to the Petition for Reconsideration please go to:
www.regulations.gov for NHTSA-2009-0093-018 -
Toyota Recall – NHTSA Wants to know... Were the recalls timely enough!
February 16, 2010With growing concerns regarding the Toyota manufacturer's recalls we will be posting ongoing news and information for upcoming hearing information and articles in the news.
"NHTSA Lauches Probe into Timeliness of Three Recalls" - USDOT (February 16, 2010)
"Toyota Provides Response to Chairman Towns' Inquiry" - Oversight Committee Hearings (February 12, 2010)
"Before Your Toyota Is Fixed, Should You Drive It?" - AOL Autos - An Interview with Don Friedman for Center for Injury Research (February 11, 2010)
"Toyota recalls may not solve problem, experts say" - CNN US (February 10, 2010)
"This Car Runs on Code" - Discovery News (February 5, 2010)
"Toyota: Owners can still drive, but watch for warning signs" - USA Today - Comment by Center for Injury Research (January 27, 2010)
Center for Injury Research – IRS Awards Charitable Contribution Status!
September 7, 2009On September 1st, the IRS, after reviewing the last 5 years of research done by CFIR, granted a reclassification to General Scientific Non-Profit Organization with charitable contribution acceptability.
CfIR’s work to educate the public about automotive safety has been at the forefront of the company’s diligent efforts. Their work with Center for Auto Safety in Washington, DC, the Santos Family Foundation and State Farm Insurance and their current project with Automotive Safety Research Institute have established CfIR as a scientific safety testing organization with the ability to serve the public.
With the newly established status as a charitable non-profit, the Board will continue to pursue safety and occupant injury grants and private funding work. CfIR’s ability to increase the publications of their testing and research results will give them a greater voice in the scientific community.
One of CfIR’s goals is to disseminate critical information to the Automobile Insurance Industry to assist in their ability to analyze risk in insuring various automobiles and eventually work in collaboration with government safety agencies to increase awareness to both the public and automobile manufacturers.
CfIR’s continued efforts to educate will focus on reaching out to University and High School students looking for internships and community service hours. We will continue to provide educational seminars to parents in the community to become more aware of automotive safety and options for vehicles purchased for both themselves and their teenagers.
CfIR publishes its scientific research and makes it available to the public through conference papers, lectures, and on the web. For more information on current projects and research materials already published you can go to their website at www.centerforinjuryresearch.org.
- Contact: Directors of Operations
- Contact Persons:
- Cindy Shipp: cindy@centerforinjuryresearch.org
- Susie Bozzini: susie@centerforinjuryresearch.org
- Center for Injury Research 510 S. Fairview Ave. Goleta, CA 93117 805-683-6835
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News - Consumer Alert - ABC News
“Preventing Car Roof Crush Accident”
Advocates push for stricter standard in vehicle roof strength.
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Press Conference to Demonstrate the Inadequecys of Federal Roof Strength Rule
Purpose: Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety and Center for Injury Research Will Show How the Government’s Failure to Require Real-World Tests Will Cost Thousands of Lives
What: Press conference to present results of real-world (dynamic) rollover crash tests, which will highlight the inadequacies of the federal government’s work to upgrade the roof strength standard. Public Citizen, the Center for Auto Safety and the Center for Injury Research will show video comparing the results of a real-world rollover crash test to the inadequate test that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to use. The Jordan Rollover System (JRS) test featured in the video reveals weaknesses in vehicle roof structure and injury risks that NHTSA’s test does not. Footage of the JRS rollover tests on three late-model vehicles will be shown, and the damage and injury risk will be compared to that of the same three vehicles in NHTSA’s tests (copies of the dynamic crash test footage for these and three additional late-model vehicles also will be available).
Facts: Rollovers account for only four percent of crashes but represent 35 percent of all highway fatalities involving vehicle occupants – needlessly killing 10,800 and seriously injuring more than 16,000 people per year. NHTSA is in the process of updating its roof strength rule, which dates from the 1970s and requires a test that merely puts pressure on the corner of the vehicle’s roof. NHTSA will issue its final roof strength rule by Oct.1; according to all indications, this final rule will not require a real-world test but instead will continue to use a test that is outdated, inaccurate and unreliable.
When: 12 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 9
Where: Morton Auditorium, George Washington University Campus, 805 21st Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Speakers: Joan Claybrook (President of Public Citizen a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.), Clarence Ditlow (Executive director of the Center for Auto Safety), Don Friedman (President of the Center for Injury Research and renowned engineer).
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Live Web Cast Through New Media Mill
September 9, 2008, Washington DC, George Washington University – Speakers and panel – Center for Injury Research, Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen
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Live Web Cast Through New Media Mill
December 11, 2006, Washington DC, George Washington University – Speakers and panel – Center for Injury Research, Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen (live web cast thru New Media Mill)