December 28, 2007

Car Accident & Injury When Airbags Fail

Orlando car accident victims have contacted us over the years concerned that their car air bags failed to deploy. As we have shared, car air bag failures do occur. Recent studies have tragically found that injury and death from car accidents continue to result from air bag failures.

One recent study examined consumer complaints where those involved in car accidents said airbags failed to deploy and protect them. Sadly, most of the accidents were the type that drivers expect will cause their airbags to deploy: head-on collisions, rollovers, and broadside crashes. Few were minor fender-benders.

Many consumers suffered serious injury when their airbags failed to deploy. Others lost loved ones. Reportedly, these accidents and injury occurred in cars, trucks, minivans, and SUV's made by Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi, Kia, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Honda. While car makers would like consumers to believe that it can not happen, some of thes reported air bag failures occurred in new vehicles.

Although it is true that air bags should not deploy for every type of accident, these kind of consumer complaints remind all of us that we must not take our families' safety for granted. Always wear your seat belt and shoulder harness and make sure all little ones are properly restrained in appropriate car seats as well.

December 13, 2007

Car Accident, Cell Phone and Teenager - Any Connection?

Car Accidents occur most often due to a distracted driver. As Orlando car accident lawyers we find that one common distraction is cell phone use. In the past , efforts to prohibit cell phone use for drivers has gone nowhere in the legislature. However, a state lawmaker thinks a narrower restriction makes sense.

Representative John Legg wants to ban drivers under the age of 18 from using cell phones. He has filed a bill that would prohibit minors from talking on a cell phone when they are driving. He thinks this tailored legislation makes more sense because minors are the drivers who need to be completely focused on the road. He is not alone.

Seventeen states currently have laws restricting cell phone use for teenage drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Six states and the District of Columbia have banned all drivers from using handheld cell phones. Six more states allow local governments to ban drivers from using cell phones. Florida is one of eight states that prohibit local governments from issuing such a ban.

Whether our legislature moves forward with this bill to reduce car accidents is yet to be seen. Many will think this gives up to much freedom-and perhaps it does. Others may think it will not do much to reduce car accidents. However, no one can really dispute that most accidents occur when drivers are not focused on driving.