Backseat Driver

Car safety advocates, manufacturers, and lawmakers have clashed over whether to make automobiles safer. All sides armed themselves with data in the hopes of winning the great car safety debates.In this way, crash statistics and the analysts who studied them made history.

Norma Faris Hubele, PhD has served over 30 years as a professor, consumer advocate, and automotive safety expert. She was the first director of strategic initiatives at the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University, where she is now a Professor Emerita. An expert witness in over 120 car safety cases, Dr. Hubele has educated the courts about when statistics can or cannot inform decisions. She is a co-author of a widely used textbook, Engineering Statistics. Dr. Hubele is founder and CEO of TheAutoProfessor.com, a free website for new car safety ratings and information.

Chapter 1 Introduction. Chapter 2 A Strange Start for a Movement. Chapter 3 Crash Data Make a Difference. Chapter 4 Measuring Progress with Data. Chapter 5 The Roof Crush Resistance Debate. Chapter 6 The Incompatibility Debate. Chapter 7 The Fuel Efficiency Debate. Chapter 8 The Safety Ratings Debate. Chapter 9 Two Recall Debates. Chapter 10 The Automated Driver-Assistance Systems Debate. Chapter 11 The Self-Driving Car Debate. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. FURTHER READING. GLOSSARY OF SELECTED TERMS. INDEX.