"A safety device required on all semitrailers has proven to break in test crashes and in a deadly accident in Middle Tennessee, a WSMV, Channel 4 I-Team investigation found."

Furthermore, "federal death statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate it's a widespread problem. On average, more than 300 people die every year when their car strikes the back of large trucks. It is unknown, however, how many deaths are caused by the failed device."

A concerned citizen, and Union Pacific employee called the UTA last November to voice her concerns about a sound wall that was too high for people to see oncoming trains. However, even after the second complaint, by another concerned citizen, the UTA did nothing. Now, 15-year-old Shariah Casper is dead.

“Records obtained through open records laws plus interviews show that UTA was warned at least twice about dangers at Mid-Jordan crossings that contributed to Casper’s death, but no improvements were made until after she was killed.”

Furthermore, the UTA declined to comment on the matter, citing an expected lawsuit ...

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Since 2007, the city of St. Louis has worked to cut overtime costs. Many departments have been successful, though one stands out as continuing to rack up high overtime payouts: the Towing Services Division. Reporter David Hunn of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, writes that the foremen “in the towing division serve as examples of how the city often uses overtime to fill in for positions lost in budget cuts.” If one or two workers cannot work, other employees fill in the shifts. This usually means they work on their scheduled days off.  The most “senior” employee pocketed “at least ...

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In this project by the Scripps Howard News Service, reporter Isaac Wolf investigates the chemical makeup of national gasoline brands. An independent lab test of five different national brands reveals that they "differ widely in their levels of crucial engine-cleaning detergent additives." The levels of detergent additives can impact a vehicle's engine quality as well as the environment. Although the additives are required by the Environmental Protection Agency, "some automotive and fuel experts contend the Environmental Protection Agency's minimum standard is outdated."

"A six-month examination of more than 150,000 reports filed by pilots and others in the aviation industry over the past 20 years reveals surprising and sometimes shocking safety breaches and close calls at local, regional and major airports throughout the country."  The investigation was a collaboration between members of the Investigative News Network and National Public Radio.  The NPR report can be heard here.  Data for this project was provided by the National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR).

A a four-part investigation of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (BNSF) by the Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) with ProPublica reveals a troubled railroad company.  "Over the past decade, court records show, judges around the country have disciplined BNSF after finding that the company or its lawyers broke rules aimed at ensuring fair legal proceedings in 13 cases involving collisions or workplace injuries."

A 23-story package investigates the state of travel in America uncovering a breakdown of safety systems across the board. Safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board are taking over 5 years to implement leaving people vulnerable from air to rail, road to sea.  This investigative package was conducted by journalism students from 11 universities participating in the Carnegie-Knight Journalism Initiative in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity. Their work is being published by MSNBC.com and The Washington Post.

A series of reports by KING-TV’s Susannah Frame, Kellie Cheadle and Steve Douglas, uncovers serious problems with the Washington State Ferry System. Over the last four months, they documented tens of millions of dollars of systemic wasteful spending in the government agency while ferry riders face steep price increases and reduced service, and the state struggles with a huge budget shortfall.

The dangerous problem of cars accelerating without a driver's input has put Toyota in the headlines – and brought the car maker's executives to congressional hearings. But an NPR News Investigation by Robert Benincasa found that unintended acceleration is not limited to Toyota. It is actually a problem found throughout the auto industry. The NPR Vehicle Acceleration Database can be viewed online.

A report by Kate Linebaugh, Dionne Searcey and Norihiko Shirouzu of  The Wall Street Journal reveals that a "secretive corporate culture" at Toyota kept the company from reporting and addressing safety issues in a timely manner with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Its silence with U.S. regulators, and other newly uncovered details from the crisis enveloping Toyota, reveal a growing rift between the Japanese auto maker and NHTSA, one of its top regulators...Its secretive corporate culture in Japan clashed with U.S. requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats, people familiar with the matter say."