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Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Norfolk and Virginia Beach Residents: At risk for death by Toyota?
- Woman Charged With Reckless Driving After Crashing Into Disabled Vehicle
- Virginia Beach to be site of car crash and drug use study
- Supreme Court of virginia
- Do seat belts and air bags REALLY make a difference?
Firm News
Is greed to blame for Toyota’s recall problems?
Posted on 2/27/2010
Hampton Roads residents killed in tragic out-of-state auto accident
Posted on 2/25/2010
One Dead After Early Morning Chesapeake Crash
Posted on 1/25/2010
Man Charged in Crash That Killed Elderly Couple
Posted on 1/21/2010
Fatal Suffolk Wreck Caused by 16-year-old Driver
Posted on 1/19/2010
Wrong-way Driver Kills Norfolk Father on I-295
Posted on 12/31/2009
Two Dead in Early Morning Crash
Posted on 12/26/2009
One Infant, Three Adults Killed in NC Crash
Posted on 12/14/2009
Suit Filed in Wrong-Way Crash That Left Eight Dead
Posted on 12/14/2009
Massive Toyota recall affecting millions of vehicles announced
Posted on 11/30/2009
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Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
Is your car designed to survive a rollover accident?
Rollover accidents are more dangerous than many people realize. Over 10,000 people are killed every year in rollover crashes, and sadly many of these lives could have been saved if auto manufacturers were willing to invest in newer, safer technology to protect vehicle occupants during a car crash.
Pressure is being put on manufactures to do just that. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released their 2010 Top Safety Picks, and to the surprise of many the list was surprisingly short. There were 94 Top Picks last year, but this year there were only 27.
What caused this change? This year the IIHS chose to strengthen the requirements for vehicles to make it onto the list of top safety picks. The biggest change was that the IIHS added roof crush testing to requirements.
IIHS believes that roof strength is important because other safety technologies do not work properly without a strong roof. Side curtain airbags and seat belts can keep occupants safe in a vehicle that rolls over in an auto accident, but only if the roof does not collapse.
What is surprising is how many cars, vans and SUVs that used to be on the list were missing this year. Some big surprises include Toyota, who had no vehicles at all on the list this year, after putting in very strong performances in previous years. BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Saab were also missing from the list this year after being on it in the past.
Some manufacturers did very well. Subaru vehicles rated very well for overall safety, especially when it came to safety in a rollover crash. They have five models on this year’s list of Top Safety Picks. Other manufacturers that did well include Ford and their subsidiary Volvo, with six vehicles on the list. Volkswagen/Audi have five models on the list, and Chrysler has four.
Why pay attention to these ratings? If you have a vehicle with a “good” roof strength rating from IIHS, its roof is at least twice as strong as the federal roof strength requirement. This matters because a strong roof can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by fifty percent.
Clearly auto manufacturers must continue to improve vehicle safety in order to save lives and keep consumers safe. Manufacturers who fail to make their cars and SUVs safer risk losing customers and being accused of favoring profits over people.
If you’ve been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident, please contact the experienced personal injury and car crash attorneys at the Norfolk based law firm of Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C..
Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
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Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
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