The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "safety feature" ...
-
Company's Choice Made Cars Less Safe
General Motors removed the side airbags, at request of fleet customers, from the standard package Impalas to save money for these fleet customers. In doing so, they risked the safety of thousands of people. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was one of these fleet customers, who bought “65,000 vehicles” knowing that the airbags had been removed. Enterprise not only rented these out, but also sold them online using false advertising. After this was revealed, Enterprise and many car dealerships issued apologies and bought back these vehicles above book value.
Tags: automobiles; cars; Chevy; used cars; safety feature; consumers; transportation; restraint system; build sheet; auto safety
-
School Safety Checks Spotty
This investigation, sparked by a fire at Wasatch Junior High School in Salt Lake City, found that many schools in Utah lack modern fire safety features. The authors found that the fault lies mostly with fire inspectors, who are often ill-trained or inexperienced. The inspections are inconsistent and do not occur regularly, which is why there are no recorded inspections for Wasatch Junior High School for years prior to the disaster.
Tags: Fire Marshall; inspections; inspectors; state government; education; students; fire alarms; fire drills; safety; firefighters
-
Special Report: The Hazards of Teen Driving
USA TODAY examined all the deadly crashes involving 16 to 19 year old drivers in 2003. They found that during the course of the year, 3,500 teenagers died in teen-driven vehicles in the United States. USA TODAY looked at factors that could lower these numbers, such as age restrictions, night-driving restrictions, and passenger limits. Jayne O'Donnell even looked at certain vehicles whose features would help keep teen drivers safe.
Tags: teen auto crashes; teen driving; auto accidents; driving age; driver safety
-
Body of Evidence. Biometrics turns your face, hand, or eye into your badgfe of identity
New technologies establish a person's identity based on distinctive physical features. Most include a scanner or camera and software for analyzing the images. extracting features, and digitizing the information. The system can then check the digital biometric against a database to verify identity.
Tags: security; safety; identity; biometrics; finger-scan
-
Battered cargo: The costs of the police 'nickel ride'
An Inquirer investigation going back seven years documented injuries to 20 people tossed around in Philadelphia Police Department wagons. Two of those people were permanently paralyzed. "Most of the victims had clean records. They were arrested on minor charges after talking back to or arguing with police. Typically, the charges were later dismissed. Those wagon injuries have cost taxpayers more than $2.3 million in legal settlements, but ...no Philadelphia Police Officer has ever been disciplined for subjecting a passenger to a wild ride." These rides were reportedly part of rookie officers' street training. Furthermore, although Internal Affairs is required to investigate any injury to someone in police custody, this did not happen in 11 of the 20 cases documented by the Inquirer. The bare wagons were not equipped with safety devices, such as padding or seat belts, that have been added to police vans in other cities in recent years. Now, only 10 of the department's 86 vans have been retrofitted for these features.
Tags: police van; Philadelphia Police Department; nickel ride; police wagons; police brutality; internal affairs
-
Message from Mir
This story featured a report on the dangerous conditions on the 12-year-old Russian space station. Investigation of the US & Russian Shuttle/MIR program. Reporters obtained confidential documents written by the astronaut in charge of NASA's safety office, criticizing the agency and its Russian partners for turning a blind eye to problems. The segment also featured an interview of Astronaut Jerry Linenger in his first prime-time magazine appearance. Linenger told of his five and a half harrowing months aboard the Russian Mir, puctuated by the ignition of a near-fatal fire.
Tags: TAPE
-
No title (id: 3577)
WYOU-TV (Scranton, Pa.) looks at weak safety features of state highways; poor design elements and unprotected bridges make routine travel hazardous on many roads, Nov. 10 - 13, 1986.
Tags: PA Tape