seatbelt

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Reason Behind Ford Truck Recall? Hazardous Seat Belts

Some front seat passenger belt pretensioners 'can generate excessive sparks'

(Newser) - About 2 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks are being recalled due to an odd problem with seat-belt equipment. Some front seat passenger belt pretensioners "can generate excessive sparks when they deploy," causing smoke or fire, Ford says in a press release. The company knows of 23 reports of...

Toddler Buckled All Wrong in Car Seat Is Only Crash Survivor

Four adults die in crash on I-94 near Detroit

(Newser) - "It wasn't the right age, it wasn't the right fit, it wasn't the right anything and still saved this kid's life." So says Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw of the car seat that was holding a 1-year-old during an I-94 crash near Detroit...

Energy CEO Was Driving Way Over Speed Limit in Crash

Aubrey McClendon also hit the brakes twice

(Newser) - An energy tycoon who died in a car crash the day after his indictment by a federal grand jury was traveling well over the speed limit when he struck a bridge abutment, Reuters reports. Aubrey McClendon, former CEO of Chesapeake Energy, hit 88mph in a 50mph zone just a few...

We Drink and Drive an Estimated 121M Times a Year

The actual figure is probably higher

(Newser) - This study might make you think twice about getting behind the wheel whether you've been drinking or not: About 1.8% of American adults admitted to driving while impaired at least once over the previous 30 days, per a new CDC study of 2012 data. When that percentage is...

Arrested Man Goes to Extremes to Try to Make Son's Party

Prosecutors say Lashon Stuckey chewed through his seat belt

(Newser) - An odd story out of Chicago: Prosecutors say a 33-year-old didn't just chew his way through a police car's seat belt—they allege Lashon Stuckey did so in an attempt to make it to his son’s birthday party. Stuckey was picked up last Monday after police say...

Police Didn't Fasten Freddie Gray's Seat Belt

Commissioner says going belt-less wasn't allowed under any cirumstances

(Newser) - A lawyer representing at least one of the officers under investigation in Baltimore is offering a clue as to what could have caused Freddie Gray's fatal injury while in police custody: He wasn't wearing a seat belt during his time in a police van, NBC News reports. Gray,...

After 75-Car Crash, Maine Mulls End of Seat Belt Law

'It's very unfortunate timing,' says GOP senator

(Newser) - It's an effort that even the bill's sponsor acknowledges is poor timing. Just two days after a 75-vehicle pileup injured at least 17 people in the state, lawmakers in Maine are considering legislation that would allow adults to opt out of wearing seat belts. Sen. Eric Brakey told...

Bob Simon Wasn't Wearing Seat Belt in Fatal Crash

They're not required in livery cabs

(Newser) - It's not clear whether it would have made a difference given the severity of the crash, but the NYPD says Bob Simon was not wearing a seat belt in yesterday's fatal accident , reports USA Today . The 73-year-old CBS News journalist was killed when the Town Car in which...

Walmart Blames Tracy Morgan for His Crash Injuries

Injuries tied to lack of proper restraint, says company in lawsuit

(Newser) - Facing a lawsuit by those injured in a six-car collision—among them comedian Tracy Morgan —Walmart has responded that Morgan and Co. should have been wearing their seatbelts. Injuries in the accident, which involved Walmart truck driver Kevin Roper, "were caused, in whole or in part, by plaintiffs'...

Cops: 450-Pound Man Stashed Pot in Stomach Fat

Florida man was too big to wear seat belt

(Newser) - A Florida man's cunning plan to smuggle drugs in his ample stomach fat was foiled because he was too big to fasten his seat belt. Police say that after 450-pound suspect Christopher Mitchell—whose aliases include "Fat Boy" and "Biggie"—appeared nervous during a traffic stop,...

LAPD Seat Belt Crackdown Targets ... LAPD

Half of cops in America don't buckle up

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a new "buckle up" campaign—for the LAPD. Studies show that around half of police officers in America don't wear seat belts and though seat belt laws generally exclude law enforcement officers, traffic-related deaths are the leading cause of death of...

NJ: Belt Fido In, or Go to Jail
 NJ: Belt Fido In, or Go to Jail 
Jun 6, 2012 12:15 PM CDT

NJ: Belt Fido In, or Go to Jail

Owners' alternative: 6 months in jail

(Newser) - New Jersey wants all family members buckled up—even the furry ones. Officials are worried about distracted driving, which is the top cause of US driving deaths, so forget having your pet on your lap or leaning its head out the window. If your dog or cat isn't buckled...

Latest Car Safety Trend: Dog Seatbelts

Also available for Fido: booster seats

(Newser) - From animal and road safety advocates comes a new rule of the road: Buckle up your pup. Business is picking up for pet-product firms that offer seatbelts for your dog, with one company pulling in $5 million in revenue last year, reports the Wall Street Journal . Police and lawmakers are...

Texas Police Ticket 10-Year-Old Boy

Marshall May wasn't wearing his seat belt correctly

(Newser) - A 10-year-old central Texas boy has been given a ticket for wearing his seat belt incorrectly. Fourth-grader Marshall May says he was in a minivan's passenger seat when he stuck his head out the window and his seat belt slipped. A police officer pulled over the van that Marshall'...

Hey, Kids: You're Stuck in Back Seat Til Age 13

Academy of pediatrics ups age guidelines for car seats

(Newser) - Cue the choruses of, "Oh mom, do I have to?": The American Academy of Pediatrics has cracked down its carseat guidelines, reports the Washington Post , and they're likely to cause plenty of bickering. Among them:
  • All children should sit in the back seat until they are 13 years old
...

Ford's Inflatable Seat Belts Not Just Hot Air

More comfortable, and safer than regular airbags

(Newser) - Still not a fan of wearing your seat belt? Ford’s latest take on the safety standby could change your mind: It’s inflatable, as with vehicle air bags, and its softer webbing has been a comfortable hit with test groups. And unlike many front-seat airbags, the belts inflate with...

Advocates Push for Rear Seatbelt Laws

They reduce fatalities by up to 73%

(Newser) - Highway safety advocates are pushing for a federal transportation bill to include incentives for states to make safety belts mandatory for all passengers, but opponents say the move would set a precedent for the government to tell citizens what to do, USA Today reports. Though studies show that rear seatbelts...

NH Weighs 'Communism,' aka Seat-Belt Law

New Hampshire battles over finally passing a seat-belt law

(Newser) - The accusations of creating a "nanny state" are ringing out, which must mean it's time for New Hampshire to debate legislating the use of seatbelts. The only state without a law requiring adults to buckle up, the "Live Free or Die" state is embroiled in a battle over...

Toyota Recalls 1.3M Cars Over Seatbelt Issue

Flawed Yaris seatbelt could cause fire in crashes, maker says

(Newser) - About 1.3 million Toyota Yaris models are being recalled for repairs after a seatbelt defect was discovered that, during a severe frontal collision, can cause a pad inside the vehicle to ignite, the Car Connection reports. Some 134,900 US models, from 2006 and ’07, are affected; the...

Beer Gets Seatbelt, Kid Doesn't
Beer Gets Seatbelt,
Kid Doesn't
May 13, 2008 5:28 PM CDT

Beer Gets Seatbelt, Kid Doesn't

Australian driver in hot water for protecting brew, not 5-year-old

(Newser) - An Australian man has been fined after buckling up his beer but letting a 5-year-old child ride sitting on the floor of his car. "The concern is about people's priorities," a police spokesperson told the Brisbane Times, adding, "It is very unusual to see someone go to...

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