According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, there were approximately 30,000 deaths on our Nation’s highways. Since then, more than 390 million cars, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and mopeds, as well as 46 million tires, 66 million pieces of motor vehicle equipment, and 42 million child safety seats have been recalled to correct safety defects.
In 2015, 3,176 Californians lost their lives in car accidents. Of those deaths, almost 60% of them occurred in single-vehicle crashes.
Millions of GM vehicles made over the past ten or more years have been recalled due to defective ignition switches which can lead to deadly car crashes. The general public has only had knowledge of these defective vehicles since 2014. Now, even with the knowledge of the recalled defective vehicles, many drivers have yet to have their recalled vehicles repaired. This means there are still millions of deadly vehicles on California’s streets and highways.
The defective GM vehicles have caused almost 200 deaths that we know of to date. But because the general public did not have knowledge of the defective and deadly ignition switches, there could be many more deaths associated with these dangerous vehicles of which we are not yet aware.
Many of the single-vehicle crashes, and multi-vehicle crashes, in the past 10 years have been attributed to driver error. However, now that we know about the GM defective ignition switches we are learning that a number of vehicle crashes just might be attributed to the manufacturer defect.
The defective ignition switches can cause the vehicle to turn off while in operation. When the vehicle is turned off, the driver will lose the capability of power braking, power steering, and airbags. A single-vehicle crash can be attributed to the driver failing to control the vehicle, being distracted, or driving under the influence. However, the crash could also possibly be attributed to a defective ignition switch on a recalled GM vehicle.
Sorting out who is responsible after a crash with a GM vehicle can be complicated, but you don’t have to go it alone. If you or a family member was badly injured in a crash with a recalled vehicle, call us at 888.777.1776 or use our online contact form. Delays can hurt your case, so please don’t wait.
