Contemplating a new car? IIHS names 71 safest

Amid a series of safety issues and recalls this year, there is good news for drivers: more vehicles meet stricter safety standards in 2015.

It’s been a rough year for the auto-safety world, with recalls from GM followed by recalls from airbag manufacturer Takata affecting vehicles from seven major automakers. Last week, Takata’s president, Stephan Stocker, stepped down from his position.  He will remain with the company as a board member; Chairman Shigehisa Takada will take his place. Both Takada and Stocker, as well as other Takata executives, will reportedly take 50% pay cuts in the coming months.

While Takata has refused to expand the recall on its airbags nationwide, automakers including Honda, Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, and BMW have issued a nationwide recall on their vehicles containing Takata airbags.

But, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers drivers hope as they announced last week that their list of vehicles earning the  two top safety ratings (Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+) is nearly twice as long as last year’s – and that’s with tougher criteria. […]

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Unlicensed 15-yr-old kills three in crash; father who gave her the keys charged with manslaughter

A 53-year-old man from Scarsdale, New York, was charged last week  for a crash that killed three fifteen-year-old boys on August 30, 2014. Michael Ware’s unlicensed fifteen-year-old daughter was driving at the time of the accident.   Ware reportedly had given his daughter the keys to his car even though she did not have so much as a learner’s permit. This was not the first time he had done so, according to local investigators. The morning of the accident,  Ware and his daughter were visiting their Poconos vacation home in Paupack Township for Labor Day weekend. Ware’s daughter got behind the wheel of her father’s SUV and picked up some friends on her way to a nearby restaurant. There were a total of six teenagers in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The girl lost control of the SUV and it flipped over, […]

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Attention, coffee lovers: Keurig recall

Popular coffee machine reportedly causes burns, Keurig recalls 7 million units

Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.,  a popular manufacturer of single-cup coffee brewing systems,  issued a recall this morning on approximately 7 million of its coffee brewing machines in the United States following about 90 reports of burn injuries and 200 reports of product defects. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the defect allows hot liquid to escape during the brewing process, and in some cases this has caused burns.

Specifically, it is the Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System that is affected. The company is offering a free repair kit to customers whose Keurig brewers have been recalled.

In the meantime, Keurig states that it is safe for consumers to continue to use the coffee maker. According to their representatives, the machines are more likely to overheat and spit hot liquid when brewing multiple cups in quick succession. […]

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$750k settlement for truck accident victim

Victim to receive compensation for injuries sustained in truck accident

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys announced Friday that a $750,000 settlement has been reached in a tractor trailer accident case which was scheduled to go to trial this month before the Honorable Robert D. Mariani, United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Scranton.

Robert W. Munley III noted that “Our client brought this lawsuit to achieve justice for the suffering and trauma that he and his family have endured since this accident.  We have been honored to represent him, and we hope that this settlement will help not only our client but will go a long way towards improving safe driving conditions for truckers and drivers alike.”

Mr. Munley and Julia K. Munley, both experienced trial attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, […]

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New truck driver rest rules: a step backward?

Just last year,  new laws were put in place regarding the number of hours commercial truck drivers can spend on the road during the work week. The laws were designed to decrease the number of accidents caused by sleep-deprived drivers dozing off at the wheel, and thus promote public safety. Under the 2013 laws, drivers were allowed to drive for a maximum of 11 hours per day, and 70 hours per week. Drivers who reached the 70-hour maximum within a week could resume work only after taking a 34-hour break, including two nights of rest from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

This week, however, a provision included in the new spending bill passed by Congress will suspend some of these safety rules, pending a study of their effectiveness. Under the new rules, truckers could conceivably work up to 82 hours per week and are no longer required to have two nights of rest before returning to work. […]

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