When it becomes clear that a defective auto part could lead to consumer harm, a manufacturer will usually recall the affected part on a voluntary basis. Although there are costs associated with a voluntary recall – and there are usually short-term public relations issues that stem from a recall announcement – the risk of harm-related liability is such that delaying recall efforts can leave a manufacturer particularly vulnerable to lawsuits and truly significant public relations issues if it does not act quickly to address a product-related concern that could lead to injuries or death.

Yet, some manufacturers choose to “roll the dice” and refuse to initiate recalls when reports of harm are brought to their attention. Usually, a manufacturer’s hope is that the cost of settling any harm-related legal action will be more cost-effective than initiating a recall. This is a truly dangerous approach, as – absent a formal recall – an untold number of consumers may remain unaware that a potentially injurious or deadly vehicle defect could be endangering their well-being.  

ARC Is Refusing to Recall Potentially Defective Airbags

An example of this refusal-based approach to recalls is currently playing out in real time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not just requested, but demanded, that ARC Automotive Inc. recall 67 million airbag inflators due to a defect the NHTSA believes poses an unreasonable risk of death or injury. When making its demand, the NHTSA explained that the affected inflators can “project metal fragments into vehicle occupants, rather than properly inflating the attached airbag.”

The issue of whether it may be time for an ill, injured, or aging driver to hang up their keys is an unquestionably emotional and consequential matter. American car culture and the ways in which most cities and towns have been designed have made it so that owning personal, vehicular transportation is often associated with both freedom and independence. Yet, it cannot be denied that sometimes, despite all the benefits that driving affords, it is a far safer approach for certain drivers to hang up their keys.

Hanging onto one’s keys too long could result in a far-higher risk of a motorist causing a crash. That motorist may end up harming themselves or others. Conversely, insisting that someone hang up their keys when they remain a safe-enough driver to warrant driving privileges can result in diminished dignity, independence, and autonomy due to fear, not logic. As a result, it is very important to exercise objective reasoning when assessing whether someone should continue driving or not.

Health Status and Individual Capacity Are Key

There is no single age at which someone needs to stop driving for their own safety and the safety of others. An individual who has developed early-onset Alzheimer’s may need to stop driving in their late 40s, while a healthy 90-year-old whose health and mental sharpness remain intact could continue to drive without issue.

On January 11, a final rule concerning rear underride guards for large commercial trucks went into effect. This rule was crafted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is the federal agency that is tasked with preventing motor vehicle accidents from occurring. Rear underride guards help to prevent specific kinds of truck accident scenarios from unfolding. Now, the NHTSA is questioning whether a similar rule should be instituted concerning side underride guards.

The Function of Underride Guards

Due to the difference in size between large commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, there is a significant risk that rear-ending a large commercial truck could cause a following vehicle to become trapped under the belly of the lead vehicle. These crashes tend to be devastating, as they can shear off the top half of a passenger vehicle, exposing the vehicle’s occupants to catastrophic or fatal injury risks.

Rear underride guards help to prevent this exact accident scenario. Side underride guards would prevent a similar accident type, wherein a passenger vehicle becomes stuck under a large commercial vehicle after colliding with it from a side angle. In explaining its proposal for a side underride guard requirement, the NHTSA described underride crashes as “horrific.”

Generally speaking, the transit system in Illinois works fairly well. City buses, trains, and other government vehicles help get people where they need to go in addition to carrying city employees about their business. However, the people operating these vehicles are subject to the same flaws as anyone else, and careless or negligent behavior on their part can lead to serious accidents with civilians. If you have been involved in an accident with a government vehicle, whether it was an accident on public transit or a car crash with a government car, make sure you speak to an Illinois personal injury attorney right away. 

Who Can Recover Compensation in a Public Transit Accident? 

Because so many people ride public transit, the risk of being involved in an accident or seeing someone else involved in an accident is quite high. Examples of people who have successfully recovered damages in public transit accidents include: 

• People injured by fighting, gang activity, or other unlawful behavior on a train or a bus

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Every year around this time, sleet, snow, and ice make for dangerous driving. Most drivers slow down and take the roads carefully, but not everybody drives safely enough to prevent serious car accidents from happening. 

One such accident recently occurred on the Illinois-Wisconsin border that sent nearly 30 people to the hospital and involved several dozen vehicles. Accidents like this cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage, threaten lives, and often lead to many victims who require expensive, long-term medical care. However, determining who is responsible for such an accident can be very difficult, especially with so many cars involved. If you were hurt in an Illinois multi-vehicle pileup accident, a personal injury lawyer could be very helpful to you. 

Who is Responsible for Causing a Pileup Crash? 

One of the cardinal rules of driving is making sure that you leave enough room between yourself and the car in front of you to come to a sudden and complete stop if necessary. However, multi-car pileups complicate this factor, because getting hit from behind by another car can cause you to lurch forward and hit the car in front of you.