Could the design of seat belts be putting your safety at risk? The Nashville car accident lawyers at Ponce Law explain that new data indicates the answer to that question may be yes.
NBC-Los Angeles News explains that, prior the turn of the century, seat belts were designed to lock passengers into place during accidents. This led to neck, back, and rib injuries.
When airbags became standard vehicle safety equipment though, engineers designed seat belts that allow passengers to slightly move forward when collisions occur. Research has shown flaws in this design, though.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statement saying that although seat belts designed to spool out are generally safe, they can also compromise safety if airbags don’t deploy or if the vehicle is struck at an angle.
While there is little data regarding the number of injuries associated with the spool out seat belt design, at least 20 lawsuits have been filed in connection to injuries or deaths that may be associated with the potentially defective part.
At Ponce Law, our Nashville personal injury lawyers are hopeful decisions in these cases will lead to the production of safer vehicle equipment.