What to Look for When Buying a Safe Vehicle

A note to readers: The following information is meant to be a neutral guide to buying safe vehicles. Harris Lowry Manton makes no recommendations about any particular vehicle.

Most vehicle owners today count safety as one of the top factors in buying cars, trucks and minivans. There is a wealth of information about cars, components and craftsmanship for diligent and safety-conscious car buyers. This was not always the case.

Ideas of rigorous government regulation and consumer advocacy for product safety, especially car safety, ignited in 1965 with the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed. The book by lawyer, consumer watchdog and four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader, was a well-researched and accurate indictment of the car industry for dismissing, hiding or ignoring safety engineering designs and data in favor of sleek designs and cheaper production costs.

The book includes some examples of such which he explained in depth. For instance:

• Instead of making lap seatbelts standard, a car manufacturer charged customers $27 extra to install one, knowing the equipment was lifesaving.
• Another carmaker relied on tires inflated beyond the tire makers’ tire pressure recommendations to compensate for not installing a much-needed stabilizer bar. Consumers were unaware. The result was the potential for dangerous over-steering.
• Early car transmissions had the R setting below the L setting, making it easy for drivers to shift in reverse accidentally and cause accidents.

Despite condemnation by the auto-industry, the book paved the way to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and seatbelt laws in 49 states.

Today, the U.S. car industry is better regulated and can expect the added layer of review from popular media, insurers and consumer advocacy groups. When lawyers see patterns in vehicle-related injuries and death, manufacturers can also expect courts of law and jurors to judge whether the company values safety engineering or cost-cutting.

The Internet, TV, newspapers and magazines pump out stories on vehicles, carmakers, and regulators. When buying a vehicle, read the newspaper, watch the business news and check consumer magazines that vet cars for all aspects, especially crash-worthiness. Often, news reporters and plaintiffs’ attorneys are the first to reach the nation with details of defective vehicles and attendant dangers.

Check www.recalls.gov to see if a vehicle you want or a major component of the vehicle is defective. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle safety page contains a host of information as well as a link to safercar.gov. The second site has crashworthiness test results, tire data among other things.

Paranoid parents about to send their children on the road with newly minted drivers’ licenses can look at Edminuds.com for the best cars for teen drivers and choosing a safe car for your teen driver.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recognizes solid vehicles with safety awards and rates vehicles for such features, including during crashes. The ratings page gives the above information for 12 kinds of cars from mini-cars to luxury midsize SUVs to large trucks.

Despite the relative improvements in safety regulations in the last four decades into car safety flaws, it’s easy to think little has changed. In 2014, General Motors Corp. had to recall 30.4 million cars and trucks for defects, many of which middle management was aware. An internal investigation revealed GM executives knew there were problems as far down as the assembly lines and did nothing.

The GM recall was the largest until 2015 when NHTSA recalled 34 million vehicles outfitted with Takata Co. airbag inflators. The airbags can explode and shoot shrapnel. Ten deaths are linked to the defect. The recall continues to expand to more vehicles as more is revealed in ongoing investigations.

And, finally, to make sure the car on the selling block is as advertised, Cars.com has an advice page for buyers to avoid being defrauded. It provides a common sense check list for buying, such as buying a report on the car’s history to find out if it’s been wrecked or it’s stolen. Trust but verify.

Harris Lowry Manton lawyers have decades of experience representing clients in product defect cases, including vehicles and vehicle components. If you need help, please contact us for a free consultation. Call us toll-free at 404-961-7650 or fill out our online contact form.