Articles Posted in Road Safety

General Motors is adding more than 243,000 compact hatchbacks in the U.S. and Canada to the growing number of already recalled vehicles for airbags that can explode with too much force.

The company said Friday that the expanded recall for passenger air bags covers the Pontiac Vibe from 2003 through 2007. The cars were designed by Toyota and made at jointly owned factory in California.

The Vibe recall comes after Takata Corp. of Japan agreed to double the size of its air bag inflator recall to 33.8 million in May, thus marking it the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.

The propellant in some Takata inflators can burn too quickly, blowing apart a metal canister and sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment. The problem has been blamed for at least seven deaths and more than 100 injuries.

Just last month, Takata declared many of its products defective due to pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company agreed to double the number of air bag inflators being recalled.

The giant recall covers driver and passenger airbags in cars and trucks made by 11 automakers. Takata, the automakers and the NHTSA are still trying to pinpoint what exactly causes the inflators to malfunction.

Owners can find out if their car is part of the giant recall by going to https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ and typing in their vehicle identification number. The number is located on many state registration cards and is stamped on the dashboard near the bottom of the driver’s side windshield.

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Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata recently announced that the initial recall of its exploding airbags has been expanded to nearly 34 million vehicles. Thus marking Takata’s current situation as one of the largest consumer products recalls of all time. According to ABC News, nearly one in seven cars on the road are being impacted by this recall. The airbags in question could unexpectedly deploy and explode, shooting shrapnel at the faces, neck and chest region of drivers and passengers in impacted cars. At this time, six deaths are being attributed to the exploding airbags with many more injuries being reported.

Automakers Are Being Held Accountable

Last year, there were record-breaking recalls on vehicles across the country. While we are only partially through 2015, it looks like 2015 could give 2014 a run for its money. In the past, federal safety regulatory agencies have been way too easy on automobile manufacturers. However, as it stands now, the government is taking great strides to hold automakers accountable for dangerous faulty and defective parts.

Bicycling has been a growing trend in the United States over the past few years, mostly in urban metropolitan areas. Many urban cities in the state of Florida and throughout the rest of the country have been bicycle-friendly for years and have been proactive in designing bike lanes and bike paths to give cyclists safer ways to travel alongside motor vehicles. In order for bicycling to remain as a safe alternative to driving a motor vehicle, cities will need to continue to stay focused on ways to reduce the number of cycling accidents and fatalities.

Since the late 70’s, there has been a decline in bicycle fatalities. However, a recent report conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association shows that bicycle fatalities have been on the rise these last few years. Between 2010 and 2012, there was a 16 percent increase in the number of cyclists who were killed in accidents with motor vehicles.

Total Number of Bicycling Fatalities from 2010-2012

• 2010 – 621 fatalities
• 2011 – 680 fatalities
• 2012 – 722 fatalities

The GHSA report revealed that the states with the most bicycling fatalities were Texas, California, New York, Florida, Michigan and Illinois. Why these states? Florida and the other five states are all densely populated with multiple urban areas, which can lead to an increase in the number of bicyclists on the road, providing more opportunity for collisions with motor vehicles. The statistics do not lie – nearly 70 percent of all bicycling fatalities occur in urban areas and more than 33 percent take place at intersections.

Accidents involving motor vehicles can be very dangerous to cyclists, mostly because bikers are relatively unprotected. There are actually a number of things that bicyclists can do to protect themselves from injury and to prevent a tragedy.

• Wear a Helmet
• Follow all Traffic Laws
• Never Bike Under the Influence of Drugs and/or Alcohol
• Exercise Extra Caution When Approaching and Crossing an Intersection
• Use Designated Bike Paths, Lanes and Trails when Possible

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Graco Children’s Products has agreed to pay $10 million to settle claims that it failed to recall about four million child car seats with a defective buckle that could make it difficult to free a child in an emergency, according to federal regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Graco would pay a $3 million fine and spend $7 million developing safety programs.

Recently, Graco had insisted that the only problem with the buckles was caused by children spilling food or drinks on them. However, parents told federal regulators that they had to cut the straps to free a child, and regulators dismissed the contamination explanation, saying such a problem was foreseeable.

In January 2014, the NHTSA demanded a recall. Graco originally refused, but relented about a month later.

Federal regulators opened an investigation in December into whether the company should have recalled the seats earlier than it did. That investigation started due to a review of Graco documents that showed that parents complained to Graco about the buckles in 2009.

In 2012, the company was telling parents how to clean the buckles and arguing that there was no safety issue.

Federal regulations require that once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem, it has five business days to inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its plan for a recall or the company will face a civil fine. The maximum penalty is $35 million.

In a statement issued on Friday, Graco said the company had “evaluated the issue in a timely manner.” Graco acknowledged that “it did not provide the required notice to N.H.T.S.A.” They additionally stated, “we fell short of N.H.T.S.A.’s expectations for data collection and reporting procedures.”

Graco will be required to submit an independent audit showing how it spends the $7 million, which is to be used on programs like “identifying potential safety trends affecting car seats industry wide and launching a child safety awareness campaign.”

If you believe your child’s injury may have been caused by a defective or flawed child safety seat, our Florida Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help. Car seats are supposed to keep children secure in the event of a traffic accident, which means the device must work properly and be free of any defects or malfunctions that could prevent it from doing its job. While the safety seat should keep a baby or young child secure during a collision, it should also be easy to remove the child from seat without much delay.

Manufacturers can be held liable under Florida products liability if their defective product caused injury or death. If a negligent driver played a role in causing the crash that led to injury or fatality, there may also be reason for a Florida auto accident lawsuit.

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