Personal InjuryThe Slow Development of Air Bags as a Safety Standard
A 19-year-old college student from New Hampshire was killed in an vehicle accident in 1991. She was driving her 1988 Ford Escort when it slipped down a hill and ran full force into a tree. The impact of the accident killed the young woman, though she could have been saved if her vehicle was equipped with air bags. By this time in the early 1990s, more than 100 auto makers had admitted to knowing that the absence of air bags results in thousands of preventable deaths each year. The mother of this young woman filed a lawsuit.
Apparently auto manufacturers hads been working on air bag technology since the 1950s, testing it in vehicles since the 1960s, and even installing air bags in vehicles by the mid-1970s. It's a wonder that by 1988 the Ford Escort involved in the accident still did not have air bags as a standard safety feature.
General Motors had claimed they could equip all of their cars with air bags, yet failed to followthrough and later commented that the company did "not believe that automatic restraint system malfunctions will be sufficiently prevalent to warrant such attention." At this time, GM's own market research of customer attitudes toward air bags showed that between 40 and 50 percent were willing to pay extra for them. Still, GM, and many other auto companies, discouraged sales of air bag equipped vehicles.
This example shows that though the auto industry may be aware of the benefits of certain safety innovations, in this case, air bags, it does not mean they are going to act on their knowledge. Often, it seems they choose to ignore the implementation of safety standards that could save lives in order to save money on production costs. More vehicles equipped with safety features might cause the feature to become a regulation, forcing all auto makers to comply.
Yet, the courts, in the end, decide. Through law suits, courts found that manufacturers were well acquainted with the danger posed by the absence of air bags and decided that manufacturers must be held accountable. Many manufacturers lost in court and soon auto makers were installing air bags as a standard safety feature.
Read more about the role of litigation in auto safety.
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