If you experience a problem with your 2002 ? 2006 Jeep Liberty?s upper ball joints separating unexpectedly, you should immediately report the incident to NHTSA.  It?s easy to do and you can file a report online at Safecar.gov using this link.  You can also contact Chrysler directly, just make sure you also report the incident to NHTSA.

Defective products like this highlight the importance of doing as much research as possible before you select a new or used vehicle for purchase.  Find out more about auto safety in our legal library, where you can read articles like ?How Safe is Your Automobile??, ?Are Manufacturers Taking the Threat of Rollovers Seriously Enough??, ?Who?s Looking out for Vehicle Safety?? and more.

Experienced a problem with a Jeep Liberty or other vehicle and want to vent about it?  Let us know about your experience with recalled or defective automobiles by leaving us a comment.

Allstate has been in the news ? again ? recently, as some of their less than savory business practices were dissected by the Herald Tribune.  Practices like offering small, fast payouts to discourage policyholders from retaining lawyers, denying small claims outright, or stalling and dragging cases out in court have all been used to produce record profits for the nation?s second largest insurer.

If you don?t believe this could be true, then read for yourself.  Allstate has made over 150,000 pages of documents available on their website in response to a court ruling.  In addition, you can read more about insurance claim denials and Allstate?s own business practices in our legal library.

Frustrated by your insurance company?  Had a bad experience that you want to share?  Leave us a comment and tell us about it.

Another important safety feature added in recent years to many SUVs are side curtain airbags.  These help protect drivers and passengers in an accident, and in a rollover they can help reduce injury and the risk of ejection from the vehicle.  ESC will be mandatory on all new vehicles in 2012, side curtain airbags in 2013.

These are great safety features, but if you are unlucky enough to actually roll your SUV, you might be depending on one often overlooked feature:  roof strength.  To date, auto manufacturers have claimed that there is no proven link between roof strength and occupant safety, and they have resisted calls to increase the strength of all SUV roofs.  However, a recent IIHS study debunks this myth, and claims that there is a clear correlation between roof strength and occupant safety.  The results of this study were just released by IIHS this month, so it remains to be seen how the auto industry will react.  Perhaps there will be a new mandatory safety feature added to the federal government?s list?

You can read more about the IIHS study and SUV rollover safety in our library article, ?Are Manufacturers Taking the Threat of Rollovers Seriously Enough??

Do you drive an SUV?  Have you been compelled to purchase a newer vehicle in order to take advantage of the latest safety features?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

The study examined nearly 10,000 passenger deaths involving 8- to 17-year-old passengers, and found some unfortunate results:

• More than half of the deceased youths were riding with a driver under age 20

• Nearly two-thirds were not wearing any kind of restraint or safety belt

• More than three-quarters of the crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits above 45-miles-per-hour

• One-fifth of fatal crashes involved alcohol

Researchers have found that as children age, they are more likely to ride in vehicles with drivers other than their parents.  These other drivers include classmates, friends, or older siblings ? and these often younger drivers don?t practice the same safe driving as their parents.

The researchers made the following recommendations:

1.      Insist on seat belts. All occupants should buckle up on every trip,every time.

2.      Set a good example. Don't drink and drive. Avoid distractions like cell phones. Obey the speed limit.

3.      Set rules about safe passenger behaviors. Discuss what's helpful or distracting to a driver.

4.      Monitor your child's travel. Know where he or she is going, with whom, how they are getting there, and when they will be home.

5.      Know and trust the driver. It's not safe for your child to ride with a teen who has less than one year of driving experience.

These are great recommendations, and we urge all parents to insist that their children and teens follow them.  Do you have any other safety tips for parents with children or teens?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Both drivers had recently left a downtown Roanoke bar, and were charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence.  Further investigation found that both drivers had been asked to leave the bar where they were drinking as they

This accident is a somber reminder of two important issues facing Virginians:  first, the dangers posed to construction workers on Virginia?s roadways, and second, the dangers that drinking and driving poses to the community.

Construction workers toil away on our roads, homes, and buildings, and every day they face so many dangers on the job.  Whenever we hear about accidents we want to know ? was the worker properly protected and had they been given the right safety equipment?  Were they properly trained?  No worker should ever lose his or her life in a construction accident, but sadly this happens every day.

Of even greater concern are the two drivers who not only chose to get into their cars after a night of drinking but whose careless actions took the life of a father of two.  With a drunk driving death happening every 30 seconds on our nation?s roadways, many victims and advocacy groups are clamoring for harsher penalties for drunk drivers.  You can read more about what?s being done by the federal government and the State of Virginia in our library article, ?Impaired Driving ? What Can Be Done??

Has your life been impacted by a drunk driver?  Or, do you have personal experience with a construction site accident or injury?  We?d like to hear from you.  Please leave us a comment or contact us today.

What was the cause of this terrible accident?  Driver distraction.  That?s right, the truck driver wasn?t paying attention, and because of this he took two lives.  He made it out with minor injuries, which is often what happens in tractor-trailer accidents.  According to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, in two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, 98 percent of the fatalities were occupants of the passenger vehicle.

The driver was charged with reckless driving, and at this time the police are not planning to file any additional charges.

A study last year by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that 87% of tractor-trailers get into an accident because of a problem with the driver, i.e. fatigue, inattention, speeding.  With so many accidents caused by poor driving, more needs to be done to reduce the number of accidents and deaths caused each year by tractor-trailer accidents.

For more information and statistics, please see our article on tractor-trailer facts.  If you are looking for an attorney to help you with your tractor-trailer accident, please contact us.  You can also visit our library to find out what makes tractor-trailer accident litigation unique.

The Transportation Department has just unveiled its new five-star rating system for car seats, which focuses on rating each seat?s ease-of-use.  The ratings have four components: instructions, installation, labels, and how easy it is to secure your child in the seat.

But don?t rush out to buy a new seat yet based just on the five-star rating.  Officials have stressed that the new ratings only assess ease-of-use, and do not rate how effective a seat is in protecting a child in a crash.  While this may seem surprising, keep in mind that parents really struggle with installing seats correctly, and improperly installed seats and incorrect use of the child safety harness are major causes for concern.

Looking for more car seat information?  Visit the NHTSA?s Child Transportation Safety Tips page.  Tell us what you think, will this new rating system help?

Unfortunately, neither chamber has found a way to make up for the $65 million that was expected to be generated by the fees for Virginia?s transportation budget.  The shortfall is even more worrisome right now because economic woes and the downturn in the housing market is marring Virginia?s economic outlook.  Some Democrats are calling for an increase in the gas tax, however it is unlikely that Republicans will agree.

How can Virginia make up this shortfall?  One thing is certain, $65 million is a large amount of money to suddenly go missing from the transportation budget.  We hope our lawmakers can find a way to keep the budget balanced, as one thing is for sure ? our roads and highways ? and our drivers need that money.

Curious what else our lawmakers have been up to in this General Assembly session?  Check out our article here.

• Driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs


• Maiming while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs


• Driving while suspended/revoked for one of the above DUI-related offenses

• $50,000 for injury or death to one person


• $100,000 for injury or death to two or more people


• $40,000 for property damage