Complain about a product or service

Consumer News & Alerts

July 23, 2007

A ROOF UNDER YOUR HEAD
Rollover accidents have increased in recent years, as Americans have flocked to light trucks and other top-heavy vehicles. Rollovers account for only 3 percent of the nation's vehicle crashes but roughly 33 percent of the fatalities, killing about 10,000 people a year. While nothing can help a driver or passenger who's not wearing a seat belt, fact is many accident victims are still strapped in when paramedics get to them and injuries tend to be severe. Why? Because when a vehicle's roof caves in, it can crush the victim's skull, compress their spine or inflict other grave injuries.

You would think federal safety regulators and the auto industry would want to solve the problem with stronger roofs. That's what safety activist Paula Lawlor thought when she organized a Washington, D.C., "summit" on rooftop safety. Lawlor held the conference a few blocks from the Capitol, not far from the headquarters of the traffic safety agency. And how many of those fine folks showed up? Our Joe Enoch was there and has the gory details.

Lawlor's reputation takes a beating at the hands of corporate shills and spinmasters who make their living out of character assassination. They accuse her of the horrible sin of working with trial lawyers to give injured consumers -- and the families of dead consumers -- their day in court. Dittoheads nod vigorously whenever this nonsense is trotted out, as though the noble thing to do is to let the dead and injured sell pencils on the street corner, or rely on the generosity of Ford and General Motors.

NHTSA Eyes Foreign Parts The federal safety agency NHTSA, meanwhile, is turning its attention to foreign auto parts, using a recent problem with Chinese tires as the impetus to look overseas for auto safety villains.

NEWFIE SCOURGE
Dog breeders who specialize in Newfoundlands suspect that dog food is to blame for a nationwide surge in the number of dead and deformed Newfie puppies. In a two-month investigation, our Lisa Wade McCormick talked to breeders across the country and found what appears to be a common element in the disastrous outbreak: two particular blends of dog food. When the massive Menu Foods recalls came along earlier this year, the breeders began to put two and two together. The company in question denies that its products are at fault, but the breeders think otherwise.

China Pledges Improvements Alarmed by the consumer and Congressional backlash in the U.S., China is vowing to clean up the food safety problems that it have given it two black eyes. And on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are looking closer to home -- rapping the Food and Drug Administration's handling of food safety and threatening to overhaul a system that nearly everyone agrees is broken.

MUCH ADO ABOUT HYBRIDS
Gas prices have subsided to the $3 mark once again, according to the ConsumerAffairs.com Gas Price Round-Up but consumers are still feeling the pinch. The latest economic reports find sharp cutbacks in consumer spending as more of the family budget gets pumped into the as tank. All this leads back, inevitably, to hybrids, which are getting to be a lot like losing weight and exercising more -- something everyone talks about few actually put into practice.

The latest pro-hybrid study comes from the Electric Power Research Institute (utilities, in other words) and the Natural Resources Defense Council. It finds that widespread use of plug-in hybrids could go a long way toward improving air quality (and running up the electric bill, but that's another story). Meanwhile, a J.D. Power study finds consumers tend to lose interest in hybrids as they learn more about the actual gas savings they might achieve.

Then there are the real-world reports that trickle into ConsumerAffairs.com from consumers. Those who buy new hybrids tend to be happy with them. But those who buy used ones? Ah, it's a different story, as our Joe Benton reports. Saddest of all is Detroit's response to seven years of rising gas prices. A Consumer Federation of America study found that U.S. automakers are selling fewer gas-efficient vehicles than ever.

CREDIT CARD FEES
The middle is a good place to be when money's changing hands. That's why the credit card business is so attractive. The card issuers take a bite out of the payment that goes to the merchant and soak consumers for as much as they can get by with. All this adds up, and the fees the merchant pays wind up being added back into the price, so that credit card fees become a secret sales tax, as a Congressional subcommittee learned last week.

In other financial developments ...

• Two Bear Stearns Hedge Funds Go Broke Funds were heavily invested in subprime mortgages.

• Bernanke: Housing Slump, Subprime Collapse Will Slow Growth New home construction likely to fall ever further, inflation a continuing concern.

• Agencies Jack Up Subprime Oversight State and federal agencies team up to police subprime lenders and mortgage brokers.

DATA THEFTS
Corporate security types are driven to distraction by shoplifting but their blood pressure doesn't seem much affected when they lose confidential data on their customers or employees. Pfizer kept quiet about a data breach affecting 17,000 current and former employees, finally 'fessing up six weeks later. Defense contractor SAIC was more forthcoming when it discovered that private data on 580,000 military personnel had been transmitted over the Internet without encryption.

HOW LONG IS YOUR WORKOUT?
Visit the local gym and you'll find most intrepid gym rats trying to maintain a high level of intense activity for an hour or more, thinking this is the most effective way to burn fat, lose weight, etc. But a Japanese study says it's not so. The researchers found that a couple of shorter bouts of exercise broken up by a rest period produced better results. The problem with this, of course, was first identified by Newton. Something about a body at rest ...

In other health notes ...

• New Hope for Restless Leg Syndrome This has been a disorder that has kept its sufferers awake, first because their legs were twitching and second because everyone accused them of making it up. But no, it's true. Researchers have identified the gene associated with the disorder, which should help them develop a more effective treatment.

• Don't Ignore Angina There are those who think the chest pain called angina isn't serious. But in fact, says the Healthy Geezer, Fred Cicetti, it's a sign of underlying heart disease and needs to be checked out immediately.

• Ritalin Can Impact Brain Development Ritalin may be effective at treating ADHD but it can have negative impacts if improperly prescribed, researchers found. Message: Doctors must be sure of their diagnosis before writing the prescription.

• SIDS Linked to Sitting Position Very young babies are vulnerable to sudden death when seated, warns a new study. Babies less than a month old are most at risk, the research indicates. It's especially important to keep an eye on infants in a child seat -- but even more important to be sure to use an infant safety seat for every trip, as the risk of injury from a traffic accident is far greater than the risk of SIDS.

TSA OKS BREAST MILK
In the ever-changing world of airport security, the TSA has taken breast milk and some cigarette lighters off the verboten list. Certain lighters and specific quantities of breast milk will once again be permitted in carry-ons. Not only that, but mothers transporting breast milk will no longer have to be accompanied by an infant.

Other travel news ...

• Senator Seeks Head of FAA Chief Sen. Charles Schumer says the FAA chief hasn't done enough to clear air traffic congestion and delays.

• Upstart Airlines Offer Low-Fare Alternatives to Europe Mainline carriers scramble to match bargain fares of new international airlines.

RECALLS

Botulism Scare Prompts Chili Sauce Recall Hot dog chili sauce that may be tainted with bacteria that causes botulism, which can be fatal.

HARRY POTTER SPOILERS TAKE NOTE
It's not just rude to spoil the ending of a book or film, it's immoral, warns The Ethics Guy, Bruce Weinstein. He notes that there is a compact between the author and her readers and no one should come between them. Later this week, the Ethics Guy takes on the iPhone challenge. Stay tuned.

SNAFUS
We have had a series of Web outages the last few weeks, caused by the monumental indifference of the telephone company that operates our data center. We are saddling up the horses and will make tracks shortly, hoping to find happier trails just over the horizon.

Back to the top |