Anthony DeBarros

Data analysis shows Toyota tops
speed control complaints

USA TODAY, March 26, 2010

Since 2004, components related to vehicle speed control showed up at a higher rate in consumer complaints about Toyota vehicles than in five other major manufacturers, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. James Healey wrote the story based on my analysis of hundreds of thousands of records in a NHTSA consumer complaint database.

Link: Cover story

Beef recall didn't include school lunches

USA TODAY, Dec. 2, 2009

Part of a series on school lunch quality, this report with Peter Eisler and Blake Morrison examined a supplier of ground beef to the nation's school lunch program -- a company the government continued to use even after it had been suspended several times due to food contamination. Our analysis examined hundreds of thousands of government records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act on microbial testing and vendor contracts.

Link: Cover story

Link: Series page

First year in college is the riskiest

USA TODAY, Jan. 25, 2006

Robert Davis and I built and analyzed a database of 620 college student deaths that occurred from 2000 to 2005 at four-year colleges and found that freshman were more likely to be the ones dying of alcohol overdoses, falls and health problems. Winner of the 2007 Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award in the Consumer Affairs category.

Link: Cover story

Alcohol and fire a deadly mix

USA TODAY, Aug. 30, 2006

To follow our college deaths investigation, Robert Davis and I analyzed data related to 62 student deaths in fires at off-campus housing. We found that fires often happened on weekends in the early morning; that students frequently had disabled smoke detectors that would have alerted them; and that alcohol often played a role in preventing students from escaping deadly situations.

Link: Cover story

Rural schools left wanting

USA TODAY, June 2, 1999

An analysis of 5,100 public school projects started between 1994 and 1998 showed that although school construction was booming, districts outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas were far less likely to have built a new school. The reasons: smaller, rural districts typically have a harder time passing bonds or raising tax money to finance construction, and states weren't apt to pitch in. Winner of a special citation in 1999 from the Education Writers Association.

Link: Cover story

Anti-smoking funds sparse

USA TODAY, Jan. 30, 2001

The 1997 settlement of a lawsuit against tobacco companies netted states $250 billion, but by 2001 few of the states were using the money on efforts to cut smoking. In states that were, early results were showing declines in teen smoking. But my investigation found that most state legislatures were balking at using the money to discourage smoking, instead using the funds to reduce budget gaps or fund other programs.

Links: Page 1, Page 2

Injuries and deaths at concerts

USA TODAY, Aug. 8, 2000

Decades after 11 people were crushed to death at a concert by The Who in Cincinnati, the concert industry had done little to make shows safe. Hundreds of people each year end up with broken bones, concussions and other injuries, I found in a review of the only data available -- a compilation of news reports, lawsuits and other accounts kept by a safety crusader who opened his files to me. At the time, the head of one of the nation's largest concert promoters told me, "I’m not sure it’s relevant to talk about the percentage or number of injuries at any of the events that the company produces."

Links: Page 1, Page 2