Transportation Law Commons^™

William W. Cook And Detroit Street Railways, 1891-1894, Margaret A. Leary

Articles

In 1890, much of Detroit's street railway system used outmoded technology, had severe labor and public relations problems, and faced uncertainty over the remaining length of the 30-year franchise granted by the city in 1863, but extended in 1879, perhaps illegally. An apparent solution came in 1891, when William W. Cook-later to earn a fortune that he would give to the University of Michigan Law School-and other "Eastern capitalists" purchased Detroit's street rail system. They were unable to solve the existing problems, and the new outside ownership itself added difficulties. Cook's group sold out in 1894, and over the next …

Boilerplate And Economic Power In Auto-Manufacturing Contracts, Omri Ben-Shahar, James J. White

Book Chapters

This chapter examines the boilerplate contracts used by auto makers to procure parts from suppliers. It identifies drafting and negotiation techniques that are used to secure advantageous terms. It also explores some prominent specific arrangements as evidence that firms with bargaining power are exploiting their position to dictate self-serving but inefficient terms. Finally, it shows how standard contractual clauses solve the problem of ex-post hold-up by suppliers.

Boilerplate And Economic Power In Auto Manufacturing Contracts, Omri Ben-Shahar, James J. White

Articles

This Article is structured as follows. Part I compares the terms and conditions in the purchase orders of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and highlights important differences in the substance of these boilerplate provisions. It argues that these differences cannot be easily reconciled with the prediction that sophisticated parties draft the most efficient boilerplate terms. Part II examines how these forms are drafted, how their terms are negotiated, and how the OEMs guard their terms from erosion. It provides some insight on how tailoring occurs and how the internal organization of a party to a deal affects the terms that …

World Trade And The Environment: The Cafe Case, Eric Phillips

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Note examines the CAFE case in the context of the debate over trade and the environment. It argues that the panel decision has aspects that support the notion that the international trading system can be compatible with efforts to protect the environment, and also has aspects that demonstrate that these do indeed clash, limiting efforts to protect the environment. Part I of this Note describes the CAFE law and places it in the context of domestic and international efforts to prevent global warming. Part II examines the panel's decision, arguing that the panel acted well within the scope of …

Clearing The Roadblocks To Sobriety Checkpoints, Mark R. Soble

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note examines the constitutional and policy implications of sobriety checkpoints. Part I discusses the competing interests involved in implementing sobriety checkpoints. Part II presents an appropriate constitutional standard for judging sobriety checkpoints. Part III proposes reform-oriented measures that conform to constitutional guidelines. This Note concludes that properly conducted sobriety checkpoints are constitutional.

The Experience Of The Automotive Industry In Industrial Policies Of Selected Governments, Thomas R. Atkinson, Susan G. Ezrati, James J. Flynn

Michigan Journal of International Law

We shall not define precisely industrial policy other than to note that the cases we intend to examine involve some form of general, integrated, economic policy that, among other things, includes industry-specific measures that have had direct or indirect consequences for other countries through trade or investment links. Many other characteristics, including program integration; abridgment of private business governance, perhaps involving varying degrees of compulsion or subsidy; non-market incentives; and subordination of the market mechanism, may or may not be present in the industrial policies discussed. Very often specific protection of favored industries is a major instrument of industrial policy; …

Industrial Policy And The Rights Of Labor: The Case Of Foreign Workers In The French Automobile Assemble Industry, Mark J. Miller

Michigan Journal of International Law

The foreign labor which made possible Western Europe's postwar economic growth has become a permanent, if belatedly recognized, component of the region's labor markets. Technological change and new industrial policies stressing efficiency, skilled labor, and rationalization threaten foreign workers, raising complex and important issues of law and social policy in the debate over labor's role in industrial policy. These changes already have resulted in grave problems which make agreement and clarification of the rights of foreign workers in national and international law a matter of considerable urgency.

Regulatory Reform In The Intercity Bus Industry, Cornish F. Hitchcock

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article will analyze the economic structure of the intercity bus industry and the type of service received by the public under the present regulatory scheme. It will then discuss what regulatory reforms could improve service, how these issues are addressed in the recent House-passed bill, and what further legislative reforms should be made.

Michigan Motor Vehicle Service And Repair Act Of 1974, A. Russell Localio

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This note will analyze the Michigan Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act, examining the differences between it and prior Michigan and federal legislation. The new legislation will be compared with similar statutes in other states. Finally, the possible drawbacks of repair shop and mechanic certification programs will be discussed, and suggestions for improvements will be made.

Due Process Problems Of Property Damage No-Fault Insurance, Stephen L. Jones

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Michigan, Florida, and Massachusetts have recently enacted automobile property damage no-fault legislation. Similar to the concept of personal injury no-fault plans, the property damage legislation bars tort recovery for damage to vehicles involved in collisions and substitutes a system of insurance protection that would compensate the vehicle's owner for these losses without regard to fault. There are, however, two essential differences between the property damage and personal injury proposals. First, because property damage claims have been minor as compared to those for personal injuries, the property damage proposals have permitted the vehicle owner to self-insure for the former losses by …

No-Fault Auto Reparation In Florida: An Empirical Examination Of Some Of Its Effects, Joseph W. Little

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article discusses certain aspects of reparations systems that can be described by statistical parameters, but it does not attempt to evaluate whether or not pervasive sociological changes may result from legal modifications of the concept of fault. It may be that any erosion of fault as a legal concept will result in a decline in individual responsibility. The fact that some members of the bar and some members of the medical profession allegedly regularly engage in conspiracies to defeat the $1,000 medical expense threshold of the Florida statute could be cited as evidence of such deterioration. Nevertheless, this writer …

Proposal For A Uniform Radar Speed Detection Act, Douglas M. Tisdale

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article traces the judicial treatment of radar, reviews statutory attempts to regulate radar usage, and proposes a uniform act as an effective and consistent approach to ensure the proper use of radar.

The Automobile Manufacturer's Liability To Pedestrians For Exterior Design: New Dimensions In "Crashworthiness", Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Each year approximately twenty per cent of all traffic fatalities in the United States are pedestrians. Of the 54,700 people killed in traffic accidents in 1971, 10,600 were pedestrians. Cyclists made up another 850 fatalities. In addition to the over I 1,000 pedestrians and cyclists killed, an estimated 150,000 pedestrians were injured in 1971. This Note concerns the liability of automobile manufacturers for injuries caused by the exterior design of their products. The plaintiffs in most cases will be pedestrians, but exterior design defects may also injure motorcyclists, bicyclists, and, more rarely, occupants of other vehicles. For convenience, the term …

An Analysis Of Authorities: Traditional And Multicounty, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Comment will briefly define and describe authorities in general, as well as the new multicounty authorities. Their legal status and practical advantages and disadvantages will be explored. Finally, an attempt will be made to isolate the uses to which multicounty authorities can most profitably be put in light of the conflicting goals of maximum governmental efficiency and public accountability.

A Proposal To Prevent The Stranding Of Airline Passengers, Richard J. Gray

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

After surveying industry structure in terms of market conditions and actual practices, this article examines the failure of the air travel industry to provide bargained-for services to passengers. It compares the current regulatory pattern with alternative regulatory proposals and scrutinizes each to determine both the validity of the assumptions upon which they are based and the relative effectiveness of each in achieving desired consumer protection. The purpose of this detailed examination is to make possible the formulation of policy recommendations capable of serving as a basis for regulatory reform.

The Railroad Passenger Problem: American And British Experiences As Bases For A New Model, Vincent J. Tolve

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines the character of the rail passenger problem, identifies the American and British governments' responses and proposes a hybrid model of a rail passenger service organization based on several intrinsic characteristics of these existing systems. The article implies that the profit standard inadequately measures the success of a public utility, and suggests the adoption of an eclectic standard that measures enterprise success in terms of economic viability, response to public need, and quality of service rendered. The proposed model involves the rediscovery, application, and combination of two organizational concepts: the public corporation and the interstate compact.

Recent Trends In Transport Rate Regulation, Leonard S. Goodman

Michigan Law Review

The object of this Article is to describe the trends in the Commission's work during the 1960's in some of the areas of rate regulation that could not be settled by mere reference to costs, and in other areas of changing rate policy. This was a prolific period for the Commission, one that involved many rate innovations and a sense of new direction in certain aspects of rate regulation. The present discussion of the Commission's rate work is in no sense complete; and there is no intention to make it so. By emphasizing the decisions of the recent decade, I …

Consumer Sensitivity To Interest Rates: An Empirical Study Of New Car Buyers And Auto Loans, James J. White, Frank W. Munger Jr.

Articles

ALTHOUGH it has never been clear whether the consumer needs to be protected from his own folly or from the rapaciousness of those who feed on him, consumer protection is a topic of intense current interest in the courts, in the legislatures, and in the law schools. A number of recent court decisions have attempted to attack problems confronting the consumer; unfortunately, these judicial efforts have succeeded primarily in disclosing the limitations in the courts' ability to deal with such problems. State and federal legislative bodies have pursued more carefully designed remedies. Congress has passed the Truth-in-Lending Act; the National …

Regulation Of Intermodal Rate Competition In Transportation, Joseph R. Rose

Michigan Law Review

The controversy over intermodal rate competition comprehends both legal and economic issues. Clarity requires that each be explicitly stated and separately treated. The legal issues center on the meaning of section 15a(3) of the Interstate Commerce Act and the declaration of the National Transportation Policy that precedes the Act, which are the sources of the Commission's authority. The economic issues involve the effect on resource allocation of rate-making proposals devised to carry out these provisions of the Act.

Federal Aid Highway Routing Procedures: A Voice For All Parties, Michael F. Williams

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines the legal barriers which have been confronted in the courts by those challenging administratively determined highway routes and, in so doing, it traces these legal barriers to their sources within the routing structure itself. Against this backdrop, the article analyzes the Policy and Procedure Memorandum, indicating some of the problems which it will resolve and offering suggestions for those it will not resolve.

Motor Vehicle Air Pollution: State Authority And Federal Pre-Emption, David P. Currie

Michigan Law Review

The problem of state authority over motor vehicle air pollution was recently highlighted when the Illinois Air Pollution Control Board, for the first time, adopted regulations to deal with vehicle emissions. Those regulations are disappointingly feeble. Except for outlawing visible smoke and for making it unlawful to dismantle pollution control devices, the new rules do nothing but state that the Board may decide to do something in the future about pollution from automobiles.

In attempting to improve upon these regulations, however, one is struck with a sense of considerable futility. Given the present limits of technology and the necessarily legislative …

Compulsory No-Fault Medical Insurance For Automobile Owners, William L. Schlosser

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The enactment of the Massachusetts compulsory no-fault insurance bill, and Senator Phillip Hart's recent introduction of national no-fault insurance legislation, indicate the serious consideration no-fault insurance is receiving as a method of reforming the existing auto accident compensation system. The current tort system of recovery of auto accident medical expenses is inefficient, and, in many cases, does not adequately compensate the injured parties. Compulsory no-fault insurance is well suited to remedy these deficiencies. Under a no-fault insurance plan, benefits would be paid without regard to the question of fault; consequently, every accident victim would receive compensation without first having to …

A Reappraisal Of Implied Consent And The Drinking Driver, Paul R. Dimond

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines how the law operates, the rights and duties of the state and of the individual, how problems of interpretation should be resolved and whether the present law most effectively balances state and individual interests. The article concludes with suggestions for reform of the law and a reconsideration of ways to control the drinking driver.

Driver Behavior And Legal Sanctions: A Study Of Deterrence, Roger C. Cramton

Michigan Law Review

This Article considers first the general understanding of legal scholars and criminologists regarding the deterrent effect of legal sanctions; a second part summarizes current knowledge concerning the effects of legal sanctions in controlling driver behavior; and a concluding section evaluates briefly the methods available for the development of needed new knowledge.

Constitutional Law--Police Power--Michigan Statute Requiring Motorcyclists To Wear Protective Helmets Held Unconstitutional, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The effects of the helmet decisions on the law in general may be substantial. On the one hand, if a helmet statute is held constitutional, inroads could be made upon personal liberty; the legislature might rely on similar strained and unproved relationships to the general welfare in order to justify regulations impinging upon other areas of individual conduct. On the other hand, to hold such a statute unconstitutional may require the judiciary to interfere unreasonably with the legislature's conception of public welfare. In light of these considerations, courts dealing with challenges to such regulations in the future should pay closer …

Transportation Strike Control Legislation: A Congressional Challenge, Arthur M. Wisehart

Michigan Law Review

The necessity of protecting the public interest in continuity of transportation services while at the same time preserving the institution of collective bargaining presents a serious dilemma which the statutory framework devised during the first third of this century now seems inadequate to resolve. Indeed, most crippling strikes have occurred after statutory mechanisms for dispute resolution have been exhausted. This Article will trace the history of transportation labor legislation, outline the shortcomings of present procedures for dispute resolution, evaluate various alternatives for statutory reform, and propose permanent corrective legislation which would avoid the necessity of submitting each dispute for congressional …

Motor Vehicles--Legislation--The Michigan Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Act, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

With the adoption of the Michigan Act, Michigan has become the fifth state to adopt a comprehensive program utilizing both the insurance and the fund approaches. Moreover, the Michigan Act, apparently inspired by its Ontario prototype, contains some elements which were previously unknown in United States legislation. Consequently, it may prove enlightening to examine the scope and purpose of the Michigan Act, and to compare it with similar legislation in other states.

Insurance--Motor Vehicles--"Newly Acquired Automobile" Clause Extended To Cover Previously Owned Inoperable Vehicles--National Indem. Co. V. Giampapa, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff insurance company brought an action for a declaratory judgment that it be held not liable on a policy it had issued to the insured motorist. A party injured in an accident involving the insured had obtained a judgment against the insured in a suit which the insurer defended with a reservation of rights. Although a 1949 Cadillac was the "Described Automobile" in the insurance policy, the insured was driving a 1956 Ford at the time of the accident. The trial court found that during the term of the policy the Cadillac had become inoperable and was replaced by the …

Statute Prohibiting Maintenance Of Billboards Adjacent To Interstate Highway Is Valid As Applied To Existing Billboards- Ghaster Properties, Inc. V. Preston, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In order to qualify for additional aid under the 1958 Federal-Aid Highway Program, the Ohio legislature prohibited the erection or maintenance of billboards for advertising purposes within 660 feet of an interstate highway and declared billboards in violation of the statute to be public nuisances subject to abatement. As the owner of seven signs which violated the statute, plaintiff sought an injunction against the enforcement of the statute on the ground that it bore no substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals, or general welfare. The trial court granted the injunction and the court of appeals affirmed, holding the …

Icc Conditions Merger Approval Upon Retention Of Jurisdiction To Allow Inclusion Of Additional Railroads In The Future, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In two recent merger proceedings under section 5(2) of the Interstate Commerce Act, Seaboard Air Line R.R. - Merger-Atlantic Coast Line R.R. and Norfolk & W. Ry. and New York, C. & St. L. R.R.-Merger, the Interstate Commerce Commission imposed conditions" whereby it retained jurisdiction over the proceedings for five years to allow specified railroads to petition for inclusion in the new railway systems. Their inclusion would be ordered if found by the Commission, after a full hearing, to be consistent with the public interest.