– Carfax, the company that provides vehicle histories for used-car buyers, is making available even more free information to help consumers avoid buying cars damaged in the floods (Business/Sept. 9) from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. By visiting www.carfax.com/flood and entering the 17-digit vehicle identification number for the car you are interested in, you’ll learn whether the vehicle had ever received a “flood” or “damaged” title. Carfax has added whether the vehicle had been registered in any disaster area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
– More Americans than ever are buckling up. The Department of Transportation reports that seat-belt use rates has reached 82 percent nationally this year, an all-time high and an increase of 2 points from a year earlier. Seat-belt use was at 71 percent in 2000. DOT credits enhanced police enforcement and a growing awareness that seat belts can save lives.
– Ford Motor Co. is offering Lincoln Town Car limousine owners the repair kits it has made available for the Crown Victoria police cruiser. Ford has been dogged by complaints about the police cruiser, as more than a dozen officers have died in fires after their parked cars have been struck from behind at high speeds. Ford says there is no defect and the optional upgrades are being offered for “customer satisfaction.” Owners of 1995 through 2006 Town Cars that have been modified into stretch limousines are eligible.
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Transportation in brief is compiled from the notebooks of Jim Mateja and Rick Popely, and from Tribune news services.
