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Do any of you or your spouce drive crown vics?
Phx Az is installing special bladders to protect them.
Because they keep blowing up. My husband want's to keep his because the power but not the risk.
What do you think?
Power virses the chance of death.
tarra
BlueRain
09-20-02, 11:09 AM
Check out:
www.crownvictoriasafetyalert.com
BlueRain
09-30-02, 09:14 AM
NEW UPDATE ON CROWN VICS!!
09/29/2002 - Updated 09:29 PM ET
Ford to install safety devices on police cars
From staff and wire reports
Ford Motor will install safety shields for free on more than 350,000 Crown Victoria police cars nationwide, hoping to prevent punctures and fuel-tank fires cited in the deaths of 12 officers.
The fix will cost Ford an estimated $50 million, but should take the image-damaging issue out of the spotlight.
The shields were the first choice of a panel appointed by Ford and Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano to study the issue.
She says the change "should significantly reduce the risk that a gas tank will be punctured in a high-speed, rear-end collision."
But Phoenix police officer Jason Schechterle, burned badly in a March 2001 Crown Victoria crash, has doubts. "They were asked three years ago about plastic shields, and they said it wouldn't work," he said.
Ford says the tanks, without shields, pass federal crash standards and its own internal tests. Nevertheless, Ford has enough image problems because of a flurry of recalls and doubts raised by a recall of Firestone tires, mostly on Ford Explorer sport utilities.
Ford settled lawsuits in May with the families of two Arizona state troopers killed when their Crown Victoria was hit from behind and caught fire. Similar lawsuits have been filed in Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the model's design.
Ford says its police cars will come from the factory with the shields and other upgrades from now on. The shields are five plastic pieces that cover rear-axle and suspension parts that could pierce or damage gas tanks in exceptionally violent rear-end crashes, such as when an intoxicated driver plows at highway speed into the back of a stopped police car.
Ford says it is taking the action even though it knows of no rear crashes in which those components have punctured the tank.
Other upgrades:
An option to help police tote heavy, sharp gear sideways in the trunk, so it doesn't slam dangerously forward in a rear collision. Police departments should be able to buy it by the end of this year. The cost is not set.
A pattern that can be placed in the trunk showing where it's safe to install equipment and where it's not.
A Web site for law officers to get information: www.cvpi.com.
Napolitano, who announced the agreement with Ford at a news conference Friday, said she'll immediately rescind a ban on the purchase of Crown Victorias by state police agencies.
She imposed the ban in June after Chandler police officer Robert Nielsen, 25, died in a crash fire.
AFter 10 hours a day I would not own a Crown Vic if it were the only car available
Our agency just bought 3 new Crown Vics and 5 new Chevy Impalas.
None of the crown vics are set up with the new tank or anything differen't from 5 years ago.
We live in Arizona.
tarra.:eek: