Auto Product Liability | Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog
What If a Self-Driving, Ride-Hailing Car Hits a Pedestrian?
Self-driving cars and trucks may be the “wave of the future,” but problems with these vehicles continue to plague the industry. In San Francisco, the ride-sharing company Waymo can be seen all over the city. Recently a pedestrian was hit by a Waymo vehicle. A company spokesperson said the car was being driven in manual mode, not self-driving mode. A famous Arizona case in which an Uber self-driving car hit and killed a pedestrian is not easily forgotten.
What Can Go Wrong with a Seatbelt?
Every manmade device has the potential for error, unfortunately—including safety belts. Though seatbelts have saved countless lives in the United States, they can come with design or manufacturing flaws. Beyond that, seatbelts can cause some harm on their own, even while saving your life in a violent Arizona car accident!
In this article, we’ll take a look at what you should know to stay safe.
Investing in Good Tires Can Help You Drive Safer
A good set of tires can give your car more traction on the roads, give you more control of your car, and could mean the difference between being killed in a crash or walking away injury free. Too many people drive on tires that are far past being in good condition, and instead pose a blowout and crash risk or at the very least, reduce the efficiency and handling of the vehicle.
Electric Cars…and Electric Scooters in Arizona
It’s not just electric cars, self-driving cars, and other types of new technology on four wheels in Arizona – now, it’s electric scooters, too. Electric vehicles are hitting the area with a bang because of their affordability, lower impact on the environment, and availability. They are sold in many stores throughout most major cities.
How Long Should a Car Battery Last?
Driving around with a failing car battery can be dangerous. Most of the time, a dead battery will simply prevent your car from starting, but it can fail while your car is moving. This can leave you stranded on the side of the road, or even worse, tangled in a car accident that could have been prevented. These are just a few reasons why proper car maintenance, including maintenance of your car battery, is so important.
Are Automatic Braking Systems Safe?
In March 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that auto makers in the United States must include automatic braking systems as part of the standard features on all vehicles. Automatic braking systems (ABS) are designed so that the brakes are automatically applied in risky situations, even when a driver hasn’t applied them.
Serious Injury Crash May Have Been Caused by Mechanical Error
Three people were seriously injured in a Glendale car accident, which may have been caused by a defective front tire of a Ford F-350 pickup truck. According to a news report in The Arizona Republic, the serious injury accident occurred at the intersection of Glendale Avenue and Glen Harbor Boulevard. The driver of the Ford F-350 was not injured when his vehicle veered out of control and crashed into a Chevy HHR. The two men and one woman inside the Chevy were seriously injured and transported by helicopter to Phoenix hospitals. An investigation of the Glendale defective tire accident is ongoing.
Defective tires are some of the most dangerous and common defective auto products that can result in catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. Back in 2000 and 2001, Firestone issued massive recalls after their tires caused numerous fatal accidents. Cooper Tires and Dean Tires also have recently been investigated for tire tread separation issues. Whenever a tire causes a serious accident, it must be determined if the tire was defective and if the part manufacturer may be held liable for the damages suffered.
Different Types of Airbag Defects
An airbag is a supplemental vehicle safety device meant to provide protection in case of a sudden crash. In most cases, a deployed airbag serves as an important cushion between a driver’s head and the dashboard, steering wheel or side door. There are instances, however, in which an airbag is defective and causes additional injuries instead of preventing them. A defective airbag may inadvertently deploy or completely fail to deploy.
Inadvertent airbag deployment is when an airbag deploys for no reason. In April of 2011, Toyota recalled hundreds of thousands of RAV4s and Highlanders for inadvertent airbag deployment problems that were causing injuries. Ford F-150s (2004-2006 models) were also investigated for inadvertent airbag deployment issues. Airbags inflate very quickly. So, a sudden and unexpected airbag deployment could strike a driver or passenger and cause an injury.
Understanding What Makes a Tire Defective or Potentially Dangerous
Defective tires may be responsible for several thousand traffic accident deaths in the United States every year, as well as for countless injuries and inconveniences. This is according to statistics issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), though the true number of accidents that occur due to tire defects may be even higher, as the role of defective tires that cause or exacerbate car and other motor vehicle accidents is often masked by other contributing factors.
There are at least 2000 major tire lines on American roads today and, although companies like Goodyear, Firestone, and Bridgestone issue recalls regularly in order to remove defective or potentially defective tires from the roads, the system to remove them does not function effectively due to its complexity. Because of this, millions of tires that may be defective continue in use on our roadways. To put this in perspective, several years ago Firestone and Bridgestone recalled more than 15 million of their tires because of severe and dangerous defects.
Get Help Now
During a free consultation, we will look at the important aspects of your case, answer your questions, and explain your legal rights and options clearly. All submissions are confidentially reviewed by Mark Breyer.
Confidentially reviewed by Attorney Mark Breyer