Car safety is an extremely important issue. We’d like to think that car manufacturers will always create the safest cars they can, but the truth is that lawsuits brought to court by personal injury attorneys have been instrumental in ensuring that our cars are truly safe. Here are some examples of how personal injury lawsuits have made important life saving changes to our cars.
Tires
When defective tires made by several different companies were responsible for 271 deaths, manufacturers tried to cover up the problem instead of trying to resolve it. A lawsuit was brought against them, and the resulting victory brought the tire manufacturers under much closer scrutiny to prevent anything similar from happening again.
Airbags
The technology behind airbags has been a work in progress since the 1950s, but by 1988 only 2% of cars were equipped with them. It was revealed in court during a lawsuit brought against car manufacturers that they were aware of the fact that equipping all cars with airbags would save many lives, but still didn’t add them to all their cars. It then became the law that all cars have airbags.
Seat Belts
Lawsuits brought to court by personal injury attorneys were instrumental in ensuring that all cars must be equipped with seat belts, and that the seat belts would not malfunction during an accident. It used to be that most cars didn’t even have seat belts, and when they did they would often have problems. Over 14 million seat belts made by Chrysler were at risk for coming unbuckled during accidents. The lawsuits caused both the seat belts and the seats themselves to be remade so they’re now much safer.
Power Windows
As power windows became more popular, there was a corresponding increase in child deaths when kids would accidentally press the button to raise the windows and become asphyxiated. Car manufacturers were aware that they could solve the problem by installing new windows, but they didn’t because they cost slightly more. Thanks to lawsuits brought by personal injury attorneys, these safer buttons are the ones we now use in all our cars.
Gas Tanks
Several car manufacturers were aware that the placement of their gas tanks could result in fires or explosions, even in minor accidents. Thanks to successful lawsuits, the gas tanks in all cars are in the same place and enclosed in rigid metal frames to protect them from damage.
Personal injury lawsuits do have the chance to make a big difference in people’s lives, and at our law firm we’ve been involved in many major cases that have helped make things better for our clients. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, contact us today at (702) 522-7707!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
American Attitudes Softening Regarding Highway Safety
