This Day in History September 9, 1966

I am so glad that today's feature happened--really I am!  Ralph Nader had just published the book Unsafe at Any Speed, and people were beginning to get concerned about motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.  So in response, President Johnson signed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act into law.  For the first time, seatbelts were required for every passenger.  Also, self-sealing fuel tanks, shatter-resistant windshields,, and impact-absorbing wheels were required on every vehicle.   The Highway Safety Act (which came later) regulated better road signs and markers.  These two act together greatly reduced fatal vehicular accidents.

Of course, since then, more legislation has been passed, but at least this was a good start.  I, for one, am glad that this was enacted, and I can only hope that drivers will continue to take advantage of all precautions that cars and traffic safety provides.  But when I get out and drive on a regular basis, I know that people take these things for granted and still continue to be quite unsafe.

For more information:

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45ielk/6-highway-safety-act-and-national-traffic-motor-vehicle-safety-act-1966-lyndon-johnson-2/

http://www.enotes.com/highway-safety-act-1966-reference/national-traffic-motor-vehicle-safety-act-1966

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Traffic_and_Motor_Vehicle_Safety_Act

http://famousdaily.com/history/president-lyndon-johnson-sign-law-national-traffic-act.html

This Day in History September 3, 1935

By R H LeSesene[1][see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

Talk about a fast car!  On this date in 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell set a new speed record.  He was an English racing motorist who set all sorts of records on land and water.  His vehicles were called "Blue Bird," and his son has continued the family tradition.

This video is from three years earlier when he set a record for 253.968 mph, but this was not what happened on this date in 1935.  It was that historic date when he went over 300 mph, and it happened on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah.  The record was 301.337 mph, and this almost ended everything for him--one of his tires blew.

His land record was broken by Britain’s Andy Green in 1997: 630.35 mph.  This was the first official land speed record to break the speed of sound.

By Richard LeSesne[see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

For more information, please check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Campbell
http://craighill.net/2012/09/03/september-3-1935-sir-malcolm-campbell-exceeds-300-mph/

Blog Tour: "Crashers" by Lindy S. Hudis Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

A riveting story of love and desperation, greed and redemption.

Fraudulent car accidents is a multi-million dollar racket, involving unscrupulous medical providers, personal injury attorneys, and the cooperating passengers involved in the accidents—and who also receive a portion of the illegal proceeds. Such is the fate of newly engaged, Nathan and Shari, whose joy is tempered by the dark cloud of mounting debt.

A chance encounter with a stranger in whom Shari confides her troubles proves fortuitous: he tells her of a get-rich-quick scheme that will put her and her fiancé on easy street. Seduced by the chance to move from hard times to good times in no time, Sheri takes the carrot offered her, and finds herself acting as a “stuffed passenger”—the “victim” in a staged auto accident. The act goes according to plan and Shari gets her payday, but getting out and breaking free of the insurance fraud underworld will take nothing short of a miracle.

A modern day cautionary tale, Crashers is a true-to-life novel that uncovers how the innocent get lured into the scheme of “cappers” and “hammers.”

Crashers by Lindy S Hudis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can just about assure you that you will never read another book quite like this one.  I have only heard about car scams that are the central focus of this book, but I now have a much better idea of what these people do.  And it is absolutely despicable! To see what simple lying could lead to was quite unnerving to me.

The story of the book was extremely fast-paced, and the author put in some fantastic twists and turns that will definitely keep you guessing.  While the book does not have the kind of ending you may want, at least there is a conclusion where justice is served--mostly.  It was quite realistic and also somewhat surprising.

My struggle with the book was the profanity.  I am not a prude, but I do grow tired of unnecessary profanity that appears on almost every page of the book.  I am sure that is part of the realism in the book, but I do not feel that it is necessary to drop these words so often.  At least there were no bedroom scenes.

The violence in the book is not descriptive, but there are a few scenes/lines that stick with me even as I am writing this review.  I sometimes forget how depraved humanity can be.  The subject matter of this book is definitely worth the read, but only you can weigh if the language of the book will be a problem.  I think the author has brought something to light within today's society of which most of us never think or even know about.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

View all my reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindy S. Hudis is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is the author of a suspense novel, Weekends. Her screenplay “The Lesson” was made into an independent film and was screened at the Seattle Independent Film Festival and Cine-Nights in 2000. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

Author's Website - http://crashersbook.com/
Author's Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lindy.hudis
Author's Twitter - https://twitter.com/lindyscribe

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As a member of Karma Media I received this product from (insert company name) in hopes of obtaining a review. All opinions are my own.