Tesla runs afoul of U.S. NHTSA auto safety agency – again

Just after writing about the investigation the U.S. NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) opened into the risk of fires in the Tesla Model S, our Houston car accident injury lawyers have learned that the NHTSA has decided to take new action to tighten the rules on how automakers can use ratings data from government crash tests. And that the move was prompted by Tesla Motors Inc.’s claims that its Model S (the electric car being investigated for fire hazards) was the safest car in America with a 5.4 star government rating. The Houston car accident injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC note that the ratings only go up to 5 stars. There is no 5.4 star rating.

The NHTSA emphasized that when automakers claim anything higher than the 5 star safety rating, they are misleading the public. The NHTSA announced that, “Tesla’s claim was an example of the potential confusion and inaccuracy that could be caused by incorrect use of the five-star ratings information in advertising and marketing statements. As a result, NHTSA reviewed its advertising guidelines and made updates to ensure consumers receive accurate and consistent information.”

David Strickland of the NHTSA said that the agency was aware of other automakers that have misused the safety ratings data, but it was Tesla’s action that had prompted the change in NHTSA policy. The NHTSA says that under its stricter new rules regarding use of the crash test ratings, companies that don’t comply with the guidelines could be booted from the crash test ratings program, be the subject of “buyer alert” warnings from the government, and/or be subject to further, unspecified actions from other government agencies. (Source: Associated Press by way of the Houston Chronicle, 11/20/13)

The misuse of the crash test ratings data may not be the only misleading of the public in Tesla’s quest to bolster its image as a producer of very safe vehicles. Our Houston car accident injury lawyers had also noticed in articles announcing the probe into the Model S fires that Tesla’s CEO had apparently claimed that the investigation was initiated at the NHTSA at his request due to concern over the possible fire hazard issue. But NHTSA Administrator David Strickland clarified that he was aware of no such request from Tesla. But that Tesla was cooperating with the safety probe. Unfortunately, it appears now that Tesla’s unusual efforts to enhance its reputation for safety and concern might have backfired and had the opposite result. Click the link to read more about the NHTSA investigation into possible fire hazards with the Tesla Model S.

Another Toyota and Lexus Recall Affects Almost 400,000 Vehicles

Two dangerous problems in certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles have led to Toyota’s recall of another almost 400,000 cars and SUVs. Our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys remark that this latest pair of problems brings the recall total for Toyota for just the past 5 years to around 13 million vehicles.

One recall affects about 200,000 of the 2005 through 2011 hybrid engine Lexus RX400s and the 2005 through 2007 Toyota Highlanders. These vehicles have a defect in the inverter that’s part of the hybrid engine system. The defect could trigger an alarm that could force the hybrid cars and SUVs to come to a stop. Our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys understand that this defect could be inconvenient or even deadly depending upon the road and traffic conditions you’re driving through when the inverter problem kicks in. Toyota says that it will replace the necessary inverter module free of charge in affected vehicles.

The second of the recalls applies to approximately 170,000 Lexus GS350s, Mark Xs and Crown vehicles made between 2005 and 2011 and to Lexus IS350 vehicles made in 2010 and 2011. The defect’s in an engine bolt that controls the variable valve timing system, which in turn controls the engine camshafts. The defect could cause the engine bolt to loosen and the entire engine to stop functioning, as well as potentially causing permanent engine damage. Again, our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys figure it’s not a problem you want to face when you’re on the road.

Contact our Texas City Toyota Recall Attorneys at Denena Points, PC if You or Your Loved Ones have Suffered Injury due to a Toyota Defect

We’ve been successfully resolving complex auto and tire defect cases for our clients for 14 years. We provide a FREE and confidential initial legal consultation to discuss your injuries and evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery from the vehicle’s manufacturer for the needless harm you’ve suffered. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And we never charge you attorney’s fees unless we win your case for you. Get in touch with us today at 713-807-9500 or through our online contact form to report your Toyota defect injury and get the experienced help you need to recover.

Toyota Defects, Recalls, and Unintended Acceleration Crashes

You may recall another big recall from last year about this time that affected almost 800,000 Toyota and Lexus cars and SUVs. That recall covered 2006 to 2011 Toyota RAV4s and 2010 Lexus HS250s. Those cars and SUVs had a defect in the suspension system that could cause separation of the suspension arm, loss of vehicle control, and a spectacular crash.

Toyota in fact received numerous reports of accidents and injuries related to the defect, causing the U.S. NHTSA to open an investigation on the vehicles. Our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys mention that one driver veered across a full 4 lanes of interstate highway traffic after the suspension arm separated and led to loss of vehicle control.

The popular Toyota RAV4s actually have a number of recalls and NHTSA investigations to their discredit. But our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys notice that doesn’t seem to diminish their popularity. Some of the other defects include the danger of door fires from a problem with the power window switches, sticking accelerator pedals, and unintended airbag deployment.

The problem of the sticking accelerator pedal and unintended vehicle acceleration has plagued many Toyota models. Despite numerous reported injuries and accidents, including some fatalities from the problem, Toyota continued to assert that there was no unintended acceleration problem. And the NHTSA did not seem to be moving forward on the problem either. To be fair, our Texas City Toyota recall attorneys note that Toyota is hardly the only automaker to turn a blind eye to problems with its vehicles. Click the link to learn about Chrysler’s denial issues when faced with a NHTSA recall request because of dangerous fire risks in many of its Jeeps.

8 Key Facts about Your Risk of a Rollover Crash Caused by Tire Blowout

The Angleton tire defect attorneys at Denena Points, PC emphasize that tire failure, especially tire blowouts, are frequently a factor in dangerous rollover crashes. Tire blowouts cause a much higher percentage of rollover accidents at 4.81% than non-rollover crashes at only 0.28%. So if you have a blowout, your chances of also experiencing a rollover are greater than not.

NASS-CDS (National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System) investigators estimate that each year about 23, 450 vehicles get towed away from crashes caused by tire blowouts or flats. Rollover accidents are among the most catastrophic of vehicle crashes, often leading to fatal vehicle ejection and incapacitating head and spinal injuries.

But crash data reported in government databases doesn’t properly account for tire defects or tire blowouts as a cause of the severe accidents. The U.S. NHTSA crash data, for instance, contains no direct mentions of defective or sub-standard tires as causes of specific crashes. Our Angleton tire defect attorneys mention that the closest link might be a notation mentioning a flat tire or a blowout as the cause of a crash. But the note won’t speculate as to the cause of the flat, blowout, or tire failure. The U.S. FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) may record a tire problem as contributing to a catastrophic crash, but the data does NOT report whether the tire failure caused the crash, influenced the severity of the crash, or occurred during the crash (when, for example, a crashing vehicle strikes a curb or median).

Available data indicates that a combination of lower-quality tires and under-inflation or vehicle overloading increases your chances of a vehicle rollover caused by tire failure. Lower-quality tires have designs that don’t sufficiently dissipate the heat that builds up in a tire. Heat build-up in a tire causes the tire to age more quickly and magnifies the effect of any inherent weaknesses in the tire, leading to more rapid tire failure. Our Angleton tire defect attorneys know that under-inflation and overloading also increase build-up in a tire. For instance, when you have to make an emergency steering maneuver to avoid a potential accident, an under-inflated tire could “de-bead,” or separate from the tire rim, tripping your vehicle into a catastrophic rollover crash.

Tire blowouts cause over three times as many light truck crashes as passenger car crashes. And the 6.88% rate of rollover accidents caused by tire blowouts in pickup trucks is also more than three times the 1.87% rate of such rollovers for passenger cars.

Government crash data indicates that about 414 deaths and 10,275 injuries occur each year in rollover crashes caused by tire failure. The vast majority of these, 74% of the fatalities (306) and 64% of the injuries (6,590) occur on highways with posted speed limits of 55 mph or above. Our Angleton tire defect attorneys note that increased speed is another factor tat causes heat to build up more quickly in a tire.

Heat is clearly related to an increased incidence of tire blowout failures. The greatest number of these crashes occur in pickup trucks in southern states in the summer, followed by light trucks in northern states in the summer, and then by passenger cars in southern states in the summer. Our Angleton tire defect attorneys mention that light trucks are more likely to overload the tire than passenger cars, which contributes to a higher proportion of blowouts in pickup trucks in all seasons and regions than in passenger cars.

Tire failure also indirectly contributes to a number of other accidents. For instance, when a vehicle has stopped beside the road or suffered an accident due to a blowout or flat tire, other drivers slowing to “rubberneck” can lead to further crashes. And people working beside the road to change a flat or to push a vehicle with a flat out of the roadway are often struck by other drivers. Our Angleton tire defect attorneys clarify that these crashes are classified as pedestrian accidents since those struck are outside of their vehicles at the time.

Contact the Angleton Tire Defect Attorneys at Denena Points, PC to Learn about How You Might be Eligible for Financial Compensation

When you or your loved ones have suffered catastrophic crash injuries due to tire failure, you could be eligible for a full financial recovery from the manufacturer of the defective tire. Call us at 713-807-9500 to learn how. You can also reach us anytime through our online contact form.

We provide a FREE, no obligation initial legal consultation to discuss the specifics of your case and evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery for your undeserved accident injuries or losses. And the Angleton tire defect attorneys at Denena Points, PC never charge attorney’s fees unless we win your case for you. Put our more than 12 years of experience successfully resolving complex accident cases to work for your family’s benefit.

2 Killed, 3 Injured in I-20 Head-on Crash near Penwell, Texas

Two West Texas oilfield workers, Jeramy Dale Truhlar and Jonathan Michael Smith, died in a tragic head-on crash at I-20 and FM 1601 in Penwell, Texas. The Ector County accident, attributed to a blown tire, occurred when a white Dodge pickup truck slammed into a black Ford pickup truck on Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. At least three people,

• Audan Tercero, a passenger in the Dodge;
• Laura Janeth Alvarez, the driver of the Ford; and
• Roberto Rodriguez, a passenger in the Ford,

Remain hospitalized in critical condition with incapacitating injuries from the wreck.

Our I-20 tire defect accident attorneys report that authorities say Ms. Alvarez was eastbound on I-20 in the black Ford when a tire suddenly blew out on her vehicle. The tire blowout resulted in a loss of vehicle control and she crossed the median into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into the white Dodge truck. (Source: CBS 7 News www.cbs7kosa.com, 7/23/13)

The hearts and prayers of our I-20 tire defect accident attorneys are with the many victims of this horrific wreck at this time, as well as with their suffering families and friends.

When You or Your Loved Ones are Injured In a Wreck Caused by Blowout of a Defective Tire, You Might be Eligible for a Full Financial Recovery from the Maker of the Defective Tire

Contact us to learn how. Tire designers and manufacturers could be financially responsible for any injuries and fatalities that result from a tire defect. If improper tire installation, or matching of the wrong tire to a vehicle contributed to the blowout, those responsible might also share liability.

When you’ve been hurt or suffered grievous losses due to a tire blowout, you deserve a full financial recovery. Contact our Texas Board Certified I-20 tire defect accident attorneys for a FREE and confidential initial legal consultation to discuss the facts of the accident and evaluate your eligibility for financial recovery.

You have no obligation to hire an attorney, and our more than 12 years of experience with complex accident claims resulting from tire defects and blowouts could put you on the right track to your family’s recovery. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or reach us anytime through our online contact form. We never charge attorneys’ fees unless we WIN your case, so there’s no financial risk to you.

You Need an Experienced I-20 Tire Defect Accident Attorney to Win Your Claim after a Tire Defect Harms You

The process of producing a tire, with its multiple alternating layers of rubber, polymers, and metal, is very complex. Small defects might occur at any point in the process. But these tiny defects are almost never apparent until tire usage brings them out to cause a deadly tire blowout accident or tread separation.

Tire manufacturers, seeking to avoid heavy financial payouts, could vehemently deny their liability. To win your case, you need aggressive I-20 tire defect accident attorneys like Chad Points and Tony Denena, who have years of experience successfully winning claims against big manufacturers and their high-powered insurance companies, to build and present your case. Alone, you stand little chance against the high-powered manufacturers and their well-paid teams of defense attorneys. Let us help; call us today and put our skills and experience to work for you.

Is Chrysler Concerned for Customer Safety? Recall Refusal Suggests Not

Chrysler’s perceived concern for customer safety is plummeting given the company’s continued refusal to recall certain older model Jeep SUVs that the U.S. NHTSA office of defects investigation has said contain a potentially deadly design flaw. That design flaw, a fuel tank positioned behind the rear axle, could lead the Jeep SUVs to erupt in fatal fires in the event of a rear impact.

Our Galveston Jeep defect lawyers have mentioned before that rear impacts are the single most common type of wreck. They happen in driveways, parking lots, and on the roads. Their severity is greater when they occur at high speed. And high-speed rear impact wrecks are frequent due to distracted, drunken, and drowsy drivers. It’s not unusual for a vehicle stopped at a light or on the shoulder of the road to be rammed at high speed by a drunken or distracted driver that was behind them.

Have you been injured because of a Jeep Design Defect? Contact Us and Report It

The Galveston Jeep defect lawyers at Denena Points, PC want the NHTSA to have as much information as possible regarding the injuries and fatalities tied to the Jeep’s defective fuel system design. And we also have more than a decade of solid experience helping victims and their families successfully obtain full financial recoveries after a defective product has needlessly harmed them.

Call us today at 281-369-4363 to report your injury, and let us help. You can also reach us anytime by filling out our online report form.

Why is it so Difficult for Automakers to Design and Manufacture Safe Vehicles?

One might believe that as long as the big automakers have been designing and building passenger vehicles, they should be able to design and manufacture vehicles by now without hidden and potentially deadly hazards. Some design flaws should be obvious. Like positioning the Jeep SUV fuel system behind the rear axle when rear-impact crashes are such everyday occurrences on U.S. roads.

Our Galveston Jeep defect lawyers point out that vehicle buyers aren’t likely to spot such potentially deadly dangers before they choose their SUVs either. How many of you, in addition to doing the test drive and some basic research on vehicle ratings, crawl beneath the vehicle and look under the hood to scope out its design?

If you have one of the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Jeep Liberty models covered by the recall, your safety could be at risk. Click here to read which Jeep models the NHTSA says should be recalled for safety reasons. Chrysler is refusing to issue a recall that would allow you to get the potentially deadly design flaw fixed for free. Though our Galveston Jeep defect lawyers mention that the NHTSA recall request gives the company until June 18th to change its corporate mind and show some concern for your safety.

Continue to Part 2 to read more about the costs of Jeep recall and repair and how refusal to recall could affect the Chrysler company image and bottom line.

What are the Costs of a Chrysler Jeep Recall, and of a Recall Refusal?

Continued from Part 1. The Galveston Jeep defect attorneys at Denena Points, PC note that if more victims die due to the Jeeps’ fire hazard danger, the cost to Chrysler could potentially be greater than the cost of the refused recall repairs. The company’s image is already suffering due to its apparent prioritizing of its own profits over your safety. Chrysler’s continued refusal to correct a defect already linked to more than 50 deaths in rear-impact wrecks seems clear disregard for your safety.

This disregard of a potentially FATAL fire hazard danger seems particularly hypocritical since Chrysler has been issuing numerous other recalls of recent model Jeeps that have not yet been linked to fatal injury. The risk of fatal rear-impact fires linked to the defect in the older model Jeep SUVs covered by the NHTSA recall request were shown by the NHTSA investigations to be at least twice as high as for other types of SUV.

Our Galveston Jeep defect attorneys emphasize that Chrysler faces an enormous financial cost to repair the millions of older model Jeep SUVs covered by the request. And the company may feel that repairing the older models represents diminishing returns since it also has so many newer model Jeeps to recall and repair for various reasons.

Do You Believe Chrysler is Concerned for Your Safety?

The company can’t truly turn a blind eye to the hazards posed by the older model Jeep design by refusing the NHTSA recall request. With the next fatal rear-impact fires that erupt, consequences to Chrysler could erupt as well. Angry accident victims, grieving family members, adamant safety advocates, and their lawyers will all want to hold Chrysler to financial account for the needless loss of life.

Costs of refusing the recall could be much greater than the costs of simply issuing the recall and making repairs. And our Galveston Jeep defect attorneys realize that the company’s bottom line could suffer its own fatal wreck as vehicle buyers internalize the perceived message that Chrysler’s concerns do not include all customers’ safety. Click here to read more about the deaths linked to the Jeep SUV fuel system design flaw.

Consequences of Chrysler Recall Refusal on Jeeps linked to Fire Hazard

Continued from Part 1. If Chrysler sticks by its dubious assertion of vehicle safety and refuses the recall, the NHTSA will issue a final decision finding the Jeeps defective, and issue press releases and other notices publicizing the defects. The agency could also fine Chrysler for failing to provide relevant data or being slow to recall defective vehicles.

The Pearland, TX auto recall attorneys at Denena Points, PC note that the NHTSA can order a recall by an automaker, but it needs a court order to enforce it. And court trials over the potential recalls that result in victory at one level might be reversed by a judge upon appeal to a higher court.

Automaker Recall Refusals are Very Rare

Refusals by automakers to comply with NHTSA-requested recalls are rare, particularly after the NHTSA recently fined Toyota the staggering sum of $66 million for failing to timely report problems with its vehicles and for delaying a safety recall. The last recall refusal by Chrysler was in 1996. That’s not a bad refusal record, considering that in the last three years alone, Chrysler has issued 52 recalls. (Sources: Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. at safetyresearch.net; and Tom Krishner and Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto, Associated Press by way of Yahoo News, 6/4/13)

The current NHTSA request to recall the Jeep SUVs, for example, comes in addition to an earlier recall that was issued for about 67,000 2010 Jeep Wranglers for a fire hazard caused by skid plates that were positioned to close to the catalytic converters, allowing them skid plates to accumulate oil and debris and then ignite. And our Pearland, TX auto recall attorneys remind you of another Jeep recall of almost 500,000 vehicles due to a potentially deadly rollaway hazard.

To Recall or not to Recall: The Potential Costs

Chrysler’s reluctant to issue the recall is somewhat understandable from the standpoint of its corporate bottom line. Retrofitting the older model Jeeps, all 2.7 million of them, could cost into the hundreds of millions of dollars. On the other hand, our Pearland, TX auto recall attorneys emphasize that failure to recall and retrofit the vehicles could lead to additional financial liabilities in the event of further deadly rear-impact crashes linked to the flaws fuel system architecture.

Ultimately a sensible corporate decision would be to recall the vehicles in the interests of your safety. Even without the NHTSA press releases that would accompany the final decision finding the Jeeps defective, there is already a great deal of negative publicity out there regarding the potential deadly fire hazard in the affected Jeep vehicles. The problem is widely known. So our Pearland, TX auto recall attorneys urge Chrysler to take the high road, concern itself with customer safety, and recall and fix the hazardous Jeep fuel systems.

CONTACT US TO REPORT YOUR INJURY FROM A DEFECTIVE JEEP

If you or your loved ones were harmed because of a Jeep design flaw, we could ensure that your information reaches the proper federal auto safety watchdog agencies. And we could help you obtain the full financial recovery your deserve after a needless injury due to a vehicle defect.

Call us direct at 281-369-4363 or reach us through our online contact form to obtain a free, no obligation legal consultation to evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery for the harm you’ve suffered. Let us help you recover.

7 Important ATV Safety Tips to Help Keep Texas Riders Safe from Harm

ATVs, All Terrain Vehicles, are particularly popular and useful in Texas, which still has a lot of rural areas where one can ride. ATVs stress power and maneuverability over safety. The Houston ATV injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC note that currently there are very few laws governing ATV operation or safety standards in the United States. The U.S. CPSC encourages ATV manufacturers to adopt and abide by voluntary safety standards in the absence of federal regulation.

A CPSC study following ATV use over a five-year period found that the number of ATV riders increased by about 36%, the number of ATVs in use increased 40%, hours spent riding ATVs increased 50%, and emergency room visits related to ATV use went up a whopping 109%. Some ATV safety issues, like those caused by manufacturing and design defects, you can’t prevent. But there are many steps you can take to enhance the safety of your self and your family members as you ride.

Our Houston ATV injury lawyers present the following list of ATV safety tips:

Always wear a helmet and protective clothing. Many of the serious and fatal ATV injuries result from head injuries caused vehicle rollovers and ejections. Our Houston ATV injury lawyers emphasize that a helmet could prevent or reduce the severity of your injury in an accident. And long pants, long sleeves, gloves, tall boots, and goggles could also help prevent or reduce the severity of injuries such as lacerations, bruises, and abrasions.

The CPSC recommends taking an ATV rider training course to reduce your risk of injury.

Don’t drink and drive. Alcohol and drugs impair your good judgment, your visual perceptions, and your reaction times. ATV operation relies even more than passenger car operation on proper driver reactions to the terrain to keep the vehicle safely balanced and upright.

Always operate your ATV at a safe speed. ATVs are prone to rollovers, and taking a curve or a turn at high speed exposes you to the risk of rollover, vehicle ejection, and serious injury or death.

Don’t let your children drive or ride ATVs designed for adults. Studies have shown that children under the age of 16 don’t have enough size or weight to properly control adult ATVs. Children suffer almost one third of all ATV deaths and injuries requiring an emergency room visit. Our Houston ATV injury lawyers point out that most of these accidents occur when they are on ATVs designed to be controlled by adults.

Don’t drive your ATV on paved roads. ATVs are not designed for paved roads and can be very difficult to control on pavement. Driving on a paved road puts you at greatly increased risk of being struck by another motor vehicle and fatally injured.

Don’t ride an ATV as a passenger or carry a passenger when you drive an ATV. Most ATVs are designed to carry only one person. Drivers need to be able to shift their weight freely in any direction in order to respond to the terrain and adequately control the vehicle. Having additional people on the ATV impairs the ability of drivers to properly shift their weight and control the vehicles.

Contact the Houston ATV Injury Lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a Free Initial Legal Consultation if you or Your Loved Ones have been injured in an ATV Accident

We always offer a free and confidential initial consultation. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And our 15 years of experience successfully handling Texas injury and wrongful death claims could help guide you in making informed decisions to benefit your family after a serious ATV accident. Contact us at 281-369-4363 or through our online contact form for your free consultation. Let us help guide you to a fair financial recovery after a needless accident has harmed you.

MAP 21 Safety Enforcement, State Incentive Grants, and Your Crash Risk

Continued from Part 1.

MAP-21 State Incentive Grants:

• For the enactment of comprehensive graduated driver’s license (GDL) regulations for teen drivers. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys note that some Texas cities and counties already have such programs, and the available data suggest that they are working to reduce the number of teen crashes in those areas.
• For the enactment of laws requiring the installation of IIDs (Ignition Interlock Devices) in the vehicles of all convicted of drunken driving, even first time offenders.
• For the enactment of laws prohibiting cell phone use by teen drivers and texting by all drivers.
• For enforcement of seatbelt usage and child booster seat laws.

Seatbelt Use and Child Passenger Safety:

• MAP-21 recommends research regarding the possible benefit of public awareness campaigns and/or technology systems that would prevent children from being left behind in vehicles.
• Establishment of testing of child safety seats in front and side impact collisions.
• Improves the child safety seat anchoring system.
• Permits the use of advanced seatbelt reminder systems in vehicles to encourage the increased use of seatbelt safety restraint systems.
• Requires reminders for rear seatbelt use.

What all of these MAP-21 provisions mean to you is:

Laws or safety recommendations that you may have casually ignored in the past will becomes more difficult to ignore and might have previously unknown legal consequences.
Your crash risk as well as your risk of injury or death in the event of a crash should be reduced.
Former U.S. DOT employees have leeway to continue their current lobbying practices for so long as the MAP-21 recommended study continues and is not acted upon.

Tougher, more high-profile law enforcement and the mandatory use of IIDs for ALL convicted drunk drivers, even first time offenders, could help reduce the persistent problem of deadly drunken driving in Texas. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys remark that drivers might begin to think twice about downing a few drinks at a friend’s gathering or at an office party before getting behind the wheel. But only if officers and judges stand behind MAP-21 laws and enforcement efforts.

Anyone truly conscious of the safety of themselves and their children already buckles up, uses proper child safety seats, and doesn’t drink and drive. It’s those drivers who disregard their own safety and others that cause the deadly crashes we read about in the news every day. The benefit of MAP-21 is that it could begin to take these heedless drivers off the road or else ensure that they will, however unwillingly, begin to take due care for road safety.

Time will tell. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys can’t help but mention that after several years of decreasing crash rates attributed to safety education campaigns, better enforcement, and improved vehicle safety, this past year saw a sharp increase again in crash rates, injuries, and fatalities. The cause of this rise is still under debate. So for now, your safety is still in your hands. Your own observation of proper safety precautions and careful attention to the road and to adequate maintenance of your vehicle remains your front line defense against crash risk.

Need Help after a Serious Accident Injury? Don’t know What to do or Where to Turn? Download our FREE book explaining Steps to take to protect your Rights and make a Successful Accident Injury Claim

Just click on the book icon on this web page to download your free book. And feel free to contact us with further questions you may have regarding your serious accident injury. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys are available for a FREE, no obligation legal consultation by calling 281-369-4363 or filling out our online contact form.

MAP 21 Moving Ahead for Progress and What it means for U.S. Road Safety

This past year, Congress passed the comprehensive law called the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Our Houston automobile recall attorneys mention that the law covers two years of appropriations for surface transportation and includes provisions relating to:

• Teen driving,
• Seatbelt safety,
• Child passenger safety,
• Safety standards for passenger buses,
• More stringent laws relating to common carriers, and
• Commercial truck safety.

Some of the laws provisions rely on incentive grants to the individual states, while others rely on U.S. DOT studies and safety standards or on new rules and tougher enforcement of existing ones. The overall goal is to reduce the heavy costs of motor vehicle crashes in the United States, estimated at approximately $230 BILLION per year.

Our Houston automobile recall attorneys take a brief look here at highway and passenger vehicle safety improvements included in MAP-21 (subsequent posts will look at improvements regarding truck and bus safety).

Protection of New Vehicle Buyers:

• MAP-21 requires that the glove compartment of new vehicles contain information telling consumers how to report vehicle safety defects. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys note that if your vehicle’s defect is that manufacturers forgot to put that information in your glove compartment, this new requirement won’t help you.
• Provides for greater public access to vehicle defect information and requires that safety information and recall databases be user-friendly and searchable online.
• Protects consumers with defective vehicles or non-compliance claims even if the manufacturer declares bankruptcy.

Safety Research and Accountability:

• MAP-21 authorizes development of in-vehicle alcohol detection devices to prevent drunken driving.
• Permits high visibility law enforcement programs designed to increase safety by deterring drunken driving.
• Doubles the maximum fine for safety defects and violations.
• Authorizes study of policies covering lobbying activities by former employees of the U.S. DOT.
• Educates motor vehicle industry employees regarding the reporting of safety defects and violations, and protects whistleblowers that report safety defects.
• MAP-21 requires a study and report to Congress on the need for motor vehicle electronics standards. Our Houston automobile recall attorneys believe the need is obvious, but the industry can procrastinate while the study is in progress.

Continue to Part 2 for a discussion of state incentive grants and eltimate benefits of MAP-21.