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product_liability crash_worthinessManufacturers of motor vehicles have a responsibility to consumers to ensure that the vehicles are safe. Conducting crashworthiness testing can help manufacturers and designers to prove the safety of their vehicles, as well as to locate any problems with the safety features designed to protect passengers in the case of an accident. Very often, crashworthiness testing is conducted by nonprofit or government groups not associated with automotive manufacturers.
During crashworthiness testing, the testers are looking for two kinds of issues: design and manufacturing. Design problems that occur during crashworthiness testing are the result of a design flaw or failure, such as not including a roll bar, or improper placement of the gas tank. Crashworthiness testing can also reveal manufacturing flaws-problems that occur because the vehicle is improperly assembled, although the design itself is not flawed. Often, the manufacturing problems manifested in crashworthiness testing are more minor than design flaws, and more easily remedied.
In some cases, problems revealed through crashworthiness testing turn out to be issues of which the manufacturer was already aware. If the maker of the vehicle knew of the flaws before the crashworthiness testing was conducted, and withheld that information from consumers, the company can be charged with "failure to warn.”
People rely on the reports from crashworthiness testing to make safe decisions about the kinds of cars they buy for themselves and their loved ones. When crashworthiness testing reveals problems that fail to keep passengers safe in the chance of an accident, it is cause for concern. Vehicles that perform poorly on crashworthiness testing may be recalled by the manufacturer in order to correct design or manufacturing flaws.
Problems that arise during crashworthiness testing may indicate culpability on the part of auto manufacturers. While conducting crashworthiness testing, investigators should be considering whether the passengers could have fared better in the accident. It is important to note that crashworthiness testing does not consider vehicle safety or the cause of the accident, but merely concerns itself with the ability of the vehicle to protect occupants once the accident has taken place.
Understanding crashworthiness testing results for your vehicle can help show the ways in which the vehicle succeeds or fails in protecting occupants during an accident. If an accident has taken place, the results of crashworthiness testing may help prove that the manufacturer has some responsibility for injuries or deaths caused by the "second collision"-that of the occupants with the interior of the car. To further discuss the meaning and uses for crashworthiness testing, you may wish to consult an attorney who works specifically with crashworthiness.
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