Automotive Defects
More than 42,000 people die on America’s roads every year. In 2005, traffic fatalities were the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 35. In addition, more than 2.5 million people are injured in traffic accidents each year.
Unfortunately, the American public has been far too willing to accept these casualties as an inevitable cost of using automobiles, when in fact many accidents and injuries could be prevented by eliminating design defects in the automobiles we drive, in the large trucks that share our roads and in the buses that transport our children.
When an accident causes a person’s injuries or death, it’s natural to assume that one of the drivers did something wrong. However, many people overlook the fact that a defect in the auto vehicle or one of its parts may be at fault. Even if driver error is involved, in many instances a product defect also contributed to the accident and injuries in a significant way. But unfortunately, in many cases, the role the defective product played in the accident goes completely unrecognized.
The number of automotive vehicles recalled yearly for safety-related defects is at an all-time high. In most instances, the general public is not even aware of these recalls. Only those automobile owners who receive notice of a recall are likely to be aware of the problem, but often the notice downplays the seriousness of the hazard. In many cases, the current vehicle owner—particularly if they are not the original owner—never receives a recall notice at all.
In 1965, Ralph Nader’s landmark book, Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile, shone a spotlight on the unnecessary danger of automobiles. Auto manufacturers did not include safety features, like seat belts, and did not deal with issues, like pollution, that affect everyone’s health and safety. The public outcry lead to some safety advances, seat belts being a prime example.
The job is far from done, however. The problem of SUV rollovers, for example, shows that auto manufacturers are not much more proactive in protecting public safety today than they were more than 40 years ago. More than 10,000 people are killed every year in roof crush accidents—many caused by defective design that places the center of gravity too high and heightens the risk that the automobile will roll over and the roof collapse.
In 2006, 59 percent of people killed in SUV crashes were in an SUV that rolled over. Electronic stability control and increased roof strength, as well as other technological and design changes, can affect the likelihood of rollovers. The auto industry was too slow to make the changes on its own, and it has taken the actions of consumers and their attorneys to push automakers to consider changes that will keep us safer. Sadly, many of the families of people killed in these rollovers do not realize that they may have an actionable case.
Most federal safety standards for automobiles were enacted in 1972 and have not been raised despite advances in technology and designs in the decades since then. The abundance of recalls from auto manufacturers demonstrate that there are still many problems, and the government and the automakers are not doing what’s needed to make us safer. Someone has to challenge the design decisions that are costing American lives every day, and Baron & Budd is ready to take on that job.
If you have been involved in an accident resulting in serious injury, call Baron & Budd at 1 800 946 9646 or click here to contact us through our secure form.
Some cases may be referred to other law firms for handling.
