June 4th, 2013 at 3:28 pm 
As more and more bicycles hit the roads this summer, it is important for both bicyclists to use hand signals and motorists to pay attention to them.
Hand signals can also be useful when…
- Riding in groups to alert other bicyclists of your movement.
- Using any vehicle that does not have turn signals, like a moped.
- Your vehicle may have damaged turn signals.
- Operating a vehicle with hard to see turn signals, like a motorcycle.
Here is a reminder of the US hand signals:
Left Hand Turn
Stick left arm straight out, parallel to the ground. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends turning your head to make sure you have a clear path before executing the turn.
Right Hand Turn
Stick the upper part of your left arm straight out beside you, with your elbow bent at a right angle and your forearm vertical to the ground. Your hand is pointing straight up toward the sky. Basically, your left arm looks like the letter L.
OR
Stick right arm straight out, parallel to the ground.
Slow or Stop
Let anyone who may be behind you know you're about to slow down or stop by placing your upper left arm parallel to the ground and your forearm down toward the ground. Basically, it is the opposite of the right-turn signal.
For more information, please visit:
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May 22nd, 2013 at 11:10 am
Do you suffer from Buckle-phobia?
If so, there is only one clinically proven solution: the seat belt. “Recent studies show that wearing one inside a safety belt enforcement zone means you won't feel the side effects of a $65 ticket. Three out of three officers agree,” states a Click it or Ticket it ad campaign.
Beginning May 20 through June 2, Michigan will participate in the national campaign: Click it or Ticket. There will be safety belt enforcement zones, marked with a large portable sign, spread across the state searching for those with “Buckle-phobia.”
In 2008 and 2009, Michigan led the nation in seatbelt use, but has declined over the past few years. In 2012, seat belt use was at 93.6%, however, almost half of all people killed in vehicle accidents were not wearing seat belts.
Over 8 thousand seatbelt tickets and over 200 child restraint tickets were issued in Click it or Ticket enforcement zones last year.
Michigan law requires all drivers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall.
So don't be caught with Buckle-phobia this Memorial weekend! Buckle up!
For more information visit:
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May 21st, 2013 at 12:57 pm
In 2011, Michigan held the ranking for highest auto insurance rates in the U.S. State lawmakers from Detroit are trying to end that trend with proposed bills that will lower insurance rates.
Michigan has a no-fault insurance policy which guarantees personal injury protection payments to those injured in auto accidents.
Gov. Rick Snyder and other Republicans believe that the no-fault policy boosts insurance premiums and have created a plan to cap insurance payments at $1 million. They say this plan will reduce rates by $125 per vehicle for one year, with possible reductions in the future.
However, members of the Detroit Democratic Caucus say that the no-fault policy is only a small contributor to insurance rates.
State Representative Phil Cavanagh is proposing legislation that would restructure the MCAA board to focus on public interests rather than insurance companies.
There are additional proposed bills that would require insurance companies to explain rate increases and stop insurance companies from sending vehicles to collision shops they own.
For more information please visit:
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April 22nd, 2013 at 1:54 pm
REMINDER to Michigan drivers and motorcyclists: the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) will be increasing the annual premium by 6 percent beginning July 1, 2013. The premium for Michigan motorists and motorcyclists will go from the current $175 to $186.
The MCCA is a non-profit association that has been in place since 1978. The purpose of the association is to reimburse auto insurers for personal injury protection benefits that stretch beyond $500,000. With the 6 percent increase come July, the threshold will reach $530,000. Michigan is currently the only state that provides unlimited lifetime medical care for auto accident related injuries under no-fault, (Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association increases rates amid discussions on changing no-fault auto insurance, Melissa Anders, Mlive.com, http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/michigan_catastrophic_claims_a.html).
As the number of claims over $500,000 increases, so does the MCCA premium. The current $175 premium for 2012 represents a $30 increase from 2011. Factoring in the recent 6 percent hike yields an overall 21 percent increase from 2011 to 2013. Last year, a total of $947 million was paid out on catastrophic injury claims. Since 1979, there have been more than 29,470 claims filed, resulting in $9.9 billion paid out (Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association increases rates amid discussions on changing no-fault auto insurance, Melissa Anders, Mlive.com).
The majority of these claims include brain and spinal injuries resulting in permanent disability to the injured.
As the MCCA premium continues to rise, lawmakers look to a no-fault reform in Michigan.
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April 3rd, 2013 at 10:46 am
Ford will be recalling about 3,000 vehicles including the 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and 2013 Explorers.
During manufacturing, the seams on the fuel tanks may have only been partially sealed, causing potential for a fuel leak and sparking concern of fire risk.
There have been a small number of claims made for leaking fuel tanks; however there have been no reported accidents or fires due to the defect.
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March 22nd, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Ford Recall
Ford announced earlier this month its recall of nearly 196,500 minivans due to corrosion that prohibit the vehicle's row of third of seats from locking in place.
The models affected are the Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans that were manufactured from 2004-2007. Only vehicle owners in the following states are affected by the recall: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
There have been no reported accidents or injuries due to this defect.
Owners affected by the recall can take their vehicles into Ford dealerships to have the mounting bracket repaired and reinforced. Vehicle owners can also contact Ford by calling 866-436-7332.
Subaru Recall
Subaru also announced a recall earlier this month of an estimated 47,000 cars and sport utility vehicles due to a malfunction that causes the engine to start on its own.
Models included in the recall are the Legacy Passenger and Outback SUV manufactured from 2010 to 2013, the Impreza manufactured from 2012-2013 and the 2013 XV Crosstrek SUV.
Owners can take their vehicles into Subaru dealers to have the RES key fobs replaced, free of charge. The recall is estimated to begin at the end of April. Vehicle owners can contact Subaru at 800-782-2783.
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February 27th, 2013 at 3:00 pm
BMW announced last week that it is recalling 570,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. The basis for the recall is that the battery cable connector could fail resulting in the engine stalling.
The defect is that the connectors and fuse box in the recalled vehicles can begin to decay with use causing an electrical fail between the battery and fuse box. When such an electrical malfunction occurs there is then potential for engine failure.
There have been no reported injuries, but one minor car accident due to the defect in Canada.
Owners can take their vehicles into BMW dealers who will replace the damaged battery cable connector for free. The company will notify owners of the recall in March.
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February 18th, 2013 at 11:35 am
This past Thursday Chrysler announced a recall that will affect 278,000 pickups due to a defect with the rear axles.
Included in the recall are several Ram 1500 pickups from 2009-2012, Dodge Dakota pickups from 2009-2011 and Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs from 2009.
A nut in the rear axle has the potential to come loose as a result of missing adhesive. If this nut does come loose, the axle could lock causing the driver to lose control. So far Chrysler has reported 15 accidents due to the defect with no injuries, (Chrysler recalls pickups, SUVs, Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/article/20130215/BUSINESS01/302150060/Chrysler-recalls-pickups-SUVs).
Owners of vehicles will receive notification from Chrysler next month. For repair dealerships will put in a retainer to fasten the nut. This is the second recall the company has made regarding this issue. Last October 44,000 Rams and Dakotas were recalled due to a loose nut axle nut.
For more information on the recall visit http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM433844/RCAK-13V038-4219.pdf.
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February 5th, 2013 at 10:10 am
Don't be fooled by the most recent phone and email scams in Michigan. The newest one is a person who claims to be from a local court calls to inform you that you have missed a jury date and there is now a bench warrant for your arrest, which can all be avoided if you pay $500 by credit card. Yes, when reading scenarios involving scams it may seem obvious, but the callers use intimidation techniques, panic sets in, and it can happen to anyone.
There have been a few variations of this scam going around Michigan, says State Court Administrator Chad C. Schmucker, but the most recent has been in Muskegon County, (Beware of scam phone calls, e-mails, Ingham County Legal News, http://www.legalnews.com/ingham/1372297/).
Should you receive a call like this, protect yourself by:
- Be suspicious of any calls, e-mails, or texts who claim to be a court official.
- Another hint it's a scam, if they ask for your social security number to avoid arrest.
- Be leery if they ask for immediate payment to avoid arrest.
- Do not give out any personal information such as social security, bank or credit card information.
- Report any suspicious active to the authorities and call the court that the caller is claiming to be from. Besides attempting to scam victims out of money, callers can also be charged for posing as court officials.
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January 31st, 2013 at 9:56 am
Toyota's name has taken a hit these past few years due to several recalls from brakes to floor mats, but most rececntly it took the title as number one in sales again over GM. However, yesterday Toyota announced a U.S. recall of 1 million vehicles.
Of the 1 million 752,000 are Corollas or Corolla Matrixes that were manufactured from December 2001 to May 2004. These vehicles are being recalled due to faulty airbags. Defective circuit boards that trigger the airbags could cause “a short, causing a buildup of heat or potentially causing the air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy when there hasn't been a crash,” (Toyota recalls 1 million Corollas, Lexus sedans, Chris Woodyard, USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/01/30/toyota-recall-corolla-lexus-is/1876449/).
The second recall includes roughly 270,000 Lexus IS sedans produced from 2006 to 2012 for lose nuts on wiper blades that could cause them to fail if under substantial pressure.
Two crashes have been linked to the flawed airbags, but Toyota has not been able to confirm them. There have been 18 cases of abrasion injuries from the airbags, reports Toyota spokesman Naoto Fuse. (Toyota recalls 1 million Corollas, Lexus sedans, Chris Woodyard, USA Today).
Beyond the U.S. there have been thousands of vehicles recalled in Japan, Mexico and Canada.
Letters are being sent to owners of vehicles that are affected by the recall. Owners may also contact Toyota at
1-800-331-4331.
For more information on both recalls visit
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