The government is taking steps to curb use of some long-acting asthma drugs taken by millions, issuing safety restrictions to lower an uncommon but potentially life-threatening risk that asthma could worsen suddenly. The warnings cover the drugs Advair, Symbicort, Foradil and Serevent. The FDA said they should be used only by asthmatics who can’t control…
For studying 2010 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety added a new roof-strength test to the already-rigorous test it used before. Increasingly, the tests address specific circumstances under which drivers and passengers are injured and killed in collisions. Aimed at protecting passengers in roll-over collisions, the new requirement reduced the number of top-rated vehicles…
Harvard’s varsity hockey team has signed up to wear the new, $120 M11 hockey helmet. Equipment maker Cascade Sports designed the helmet with one purpose in mind: saving brains. A study of former National Football League players, reported by Business Week, shows that players suffer dementia at a rate as much as 19 times higher…
People riding in the back seat of a vehicle are less likely to use a seat belt than front-seat passengers. Ford is hoping to change that with its new inflatable seat belt. Their inflatables will first be offered on the next generation of the Ford Explorer. Sue Cischke, group vice president of sustainability, environmental and…
A new insurance industry study has found that state laws banning the use of handheld devices to make calls or send text messages while driving haven’t resulted in fewer vehicle crashes. The study, released Friday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, examined insurance claims from crashes before and after such bans took effect in California,…
Federal consumer safety regulators announced the recall of “The Princess and The Frog” pendants sold at Wal-Mart stores because of high levels of the toxic metal cadmium. The items, crown pendant and a frog pendant, had been sold at Wal-Mart stores since November. Consumers can return the two recalled items to any Wal-Mart store for…
The problem of a stuck accelerator occasionally besets vehicles of nearly every make and model. Here is what consumer experts advise drivers to do if they find that the gas pedal is stuck: What’s the best defensive course of action for drivers who find themselves in a sudden-acceleration incident? Test-track drivers have found the most…
Austin City Council unanimously passed a ban last week on text messaging while driving, though a few speakers raised concerns that the ban is too broad and urged council members to spend more time refining it. The ban was supposed to take effect November 2; instead, it will take effect January 1. Council Member Mike…
Austin City Council members will vote next week on an ordinance that would prohibit text messaging while driving. If approved, it might be the first such citywide texting ban in Texas, officials said. Drivers could still text while a vehicle is stopped. But the ordinance would ban writing, sending or viewing electronic messages on a…
