subject: Importance Of Safety Recalls To Avoid Car Accidents Due To Vehicle Defects [print this page] The average number of deaths caused by road traffic accident is about 42,000 every year.
Cars with vehicle defects and safety recall issues are a contributing factor in the high number of injuries, deaths and property damages caused by car accidents.
To help curb this hazard, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working hard to remove these dangerous vehicles off the road.
Under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the NHTSA is given the power to issue vehicle safety standards and have manufacturers recall vehicles that have safety-related defects.
For the NHTSA to act on a reported defect, the complaint must be safety related. This includes any defect in construction, performance, material or component of a vehicle.
For the vehicle defect to be considered safety-related, it should meet the following elements:
It poses a risk to motor vehicle safety
It may exist in a group of vehicles or items of the same design and manufacture
Here are some examples of safety-related defects:
Accelerators that may break or stick
Car seats that fail during normal use
Air bags that do not deploy during crash or deploys under conditions when they are not supposed to
Wiring system problems that may cause fire
Wheels that cracks or breaks
Child safety seats that do not meet safety standards
Fuel system problems
Steering components that suddenly breaks
Once the NHTSA receives a number of reports of the same problem, they can start investigating and take appropriate actions.
The NHTSA investigation consist of four parts, they are:
ScreeningAll available information is reviewed by the agency and they determine whether it indicates a safety related trend or if a catastrophic failure is developing. This will lead to a recommendation on whether to open a safety defect investigation or not.
Petition AnalysisThis is an analysis of all the petitions requesting NHTSA to open an investigation. After a technical analysis, the agency will inform the petitioner whether it has been granted or denied. If the petition is granted, a defect investigation will be opened.
InvestigationsThese are conducted in two parts, they are:
oPreliminary InvestigationMostly opened based on the recommendation from the screening part. On this phase, the agency obtains information from the manufacturer and determines whether further investigations are warranted.
oEngineering AnalysisThis is a more detailed investigation of the alleged safety defect that includes the analysis. The investigation may be closed if the manufacturer informs the agency that it will already conduct a recall.
Recall ManagementThis part investigates the efficacy of issuing a safety recall. The recall investigation may expand the scope of previously announced recalls, or adjust existing recall solutions.
To make a report to NHTSA about safety-related vehicle defects, you can call their toll-free hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or 1-800-424-9393 or go online at www.safecar.gov.
If you have been injured as a result of a vehicle defect you can consult with a personal injury lawyer who specializes in car accidents and product liability laws.
