Auto Safety Gets a Shake Up
Auto Accident prevention is taken very seriously at Rubenstein Law. That’s why we took notice when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently “de-throned” some kings of car safety.
Among them…the Toyota Camry, which has been a favorite with Consumer Reports for many years. Why the change? A new crash test, conducted by the IIHS, is considered an overlap test and it’s designed to replicate what happens when only the front corner of a vehicle strikes an object. The tests found some vehicles are much better than others at protecting occupants in these “front quarter” types of collisions.
The Camry and Audi A4 dropped in safety ratings as a result of the new tests. For that, Consumer Reports dropped their recommendations of those vehicles. As of now, the IIHS has tested more than 60 cars and SUVs, with only 11 vehicles earning a Good rating (the highest) and 15 rating Poor. Most likely, some automakers will have to take a harder look at design to pass the new safety tests.
And speaking of auto safety, the longtime king of safe minivans, the Honda Odyssey, is also taking a hit this week. Honda is recalling 381,000 of its 2007-08 minivans because a malfunctioning computer could cause heavy and unexpected braking without the driver pressing on the brake pedal and without the brake lamps lighting up. The worldwide recall is the second one this year related to unintended braking problems. So far, Honda says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the current recall, however the company recommends speedy repairs to the minivans affected by the recall. A safety agency investigation began in June after receiving 22 complaints from Honda Odyssey owners who say their vans applied the brakes automatically and without reason.
Rubenstein Law handles all types of auto injuries, including those due to defective or faulty vehicles. If you or anyone you know has been injured in a vehicle accident, please contact us within 14 days of your accident at 1-800-FL-Legal (355-3425). Our firm has offices in Miami-Dade, Broward, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
