The Los Angeles Times has been investigating U-Haul and found:
U-Haul, the nation's largest provider of rental trailers, says it is "highly conservative" about safety. But a yearlong Times investigation, which included more than 200 interviews and a review of thousands of pages of court records, police reports, consumer complaints and other documents, found that company practices have heightened the risk of towing accidents.
The safest way to tow is with a vehicle that weighs much more than the trailer. A leading trailer expert and U-Haul consultant has likened this principle to "motherhood and apple pie."
Yet U-Haul allows customers to pull trailers as heavy as or heavier than their own vehicles.
It often allows trailers to stay on the road for months without a thorough safety inspection, in violation of its own policies.
Bad brakes have been a recurring problem with its large trailers. [...]
Its small and midsize trailers have no brakes at all, a policy that conflicts with the laws of at least 14 states.
It relaxed a key safety rule as it pushed to increase rentals of one type of trailer, used to haul vehicles, and then failed to enforce even the weakened standard. Customers were killed or maimed in ensuing crashes that might have been avoided.
The company's approach to mitigating the risks of towing relies heavily on customers, many of them novices, some as young as 18. They are expected to grasp and carry out detailed instructions for loading and towing trailers, and to respond coolly in a crisis.
Part two of the three part series found:
During a yearlong investigation, Times journalists surveyed more than 200 U-Haul trucks and trailers in California and other states and found that more than half were overdue for a company-mandated "safety certification," a check of brakes, tires and other parts typically required every 30 days.
Some safety checks were more than a year overdue.
In response, U-Haul said its fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles is safe and well-maintained. It said it is investing heavily to modernize the fleet and spends about $350 million a year -- about 20 percent of its rental revenue -- on maintenance and repairs.
U-Haul, the nation's largest do-it-yourself moving company, said its trucks are involved in fewer than four accidents per million miles -- about the same as a federal estimate of the accident rate for all passenger vehicles. The company said the rate for its trailers is even lower.
U-Haul's figures could not be independently verified. No government agency keeps track of accidents involving rental equipment.
The investigation also raised serious questions about U-Haul's safety record. The story points out that most of the 14,500 dealers have no auto service background. They include storage sites, mini-marts, postal supply shops, even liquor stores and laundromats.
Among U-Haul's 100,000 trucks are many aging, high-mileage vehicles. Many have logged more than 100,000 miles. A recent court filing by U-Haul underscored the fleet's age: A company executive, referring only to the type of truck rented to [U-Haul crash victim Talmadge] Waldrip, said 4,595 of them were still on the road with 200,000 miles or more.
U-Haul has purchased about 38,000 new trucks over the last two years and has sold nearly as many older ones. But the company says it does not automatically retire vehicles at a fixed mileage or age.
Al's Morning MultimediaYou really should take a look at the multimedia that the
LA Times built around the U-Haul investigation. For example, look at the interactive called
"It was sheer terror." The interactive takes you step by step through how one accident occurred. The interactive called
"It was a trip from hell" is also remarkable. The interactive map has video embedded in it. This is very sophisticated and thoughtful stuff.
Three Investigative ProjectsI wanted to pass along three really good works from this week.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution produced a piece called
"A Hidden Shame" which is the sixth installment in a series of stories about danger and death in Georgia's mental health care system. My old college classmate Alan Judd and Andy Miller tell the story of Drendell Willis who died 48 hours after being checked out of the state's psychiatric hospital. But that is only the beginning.
The
AJC also included
a remarkable piece Sunday about how a former assistant to the mayor of Atlanta fell from grace. How could this man, once powerful and well-known, die homeless, covered with ants?
And the
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times produced a front-page two-year investigation on a woman who must certainly be the queen of cons. The scams she pulled off involved so much money over such a long stretch of time it is nearly beyond imagination. The front-page art was a collection of the many, many mugs shot she posed for over the years.
Old Ships Leaking ToxinsThis is what can happen when you leave a bunch of old ships in a harbor to rot.
The Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported:
More than 21 tons of lead, zinc, barium, copper and other toxic metals have fallen or washed away from decaying government ships in Suisun Bay, and high levels of the materials were found in sediment under the vessels, according to a draft report.
Tests on water extracted from sediment samples indicate a significant risk to aquatic life on the bay bottom and that toxic metals are likely entering the food chain and could be passed on to people who eat fish from the area, said two scientists who reviewed the report for the Times.
The 610-page document suggests that the "mothball fleet" of dozens of World War II relics and rotting cargo carriers is more of an environmental threat than the U.S. Maritime Administration, which maintains it, has previously acknowledged.
The report lists seven toxic metals in peeling and flaking paints in concentrations that exceed California's standards for hazardous waste.
In addition to the 21 tons of metals that are estimated to have fallen, at least an additional 65 tons remain on the ships.
The Times includes
an audio slideshow that gives you a clearer picture of how many ships we are talking about here.
Comparing HospitalsThe Feds have issued
an updated list that purports to show where patients are most likely to die within 30 days of being admitted for a heart attack or heart failure.
Hospitals that got pinged by the comparisons say one reason their death rates might be higher is because they take sicker patients or patients with more risky conditions. Medicare explains the background for these new numbers:
The 30-day Risk-Adjusted Death (Mortality) Rates are produced using a complex statistical model, that relies on Medicare claims and enrollment information. The model predicts patient deaths for any cause within 30 days of hospital admission for heart attack or heart failure, whether the patients die while still in the hospital or after discharge. Thirty-day mortality is used because this is the time period when deaths are most likely to be related to the care patients received in the hospital. Deaths that occur outside the hospital within 30 days are included along with deaths that occur in the hospital, because some hospitals discharge patients sooner than others.
Where Worn Out Buses Go
The Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette found out what happens to buses once they are worn out. Some are
sold whole. Others are chopped into parts and
sold piece-by-piece online.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
My oldest son has had at least TWO bad experiences...
