Personal InjuryDefective Seat Belts: Improvements Made Through Litigation
Various defective vehicle designs have been improved upon through court decisions. Unfortunately, most of these changes occur after catastrophic injury or fatality. One recent example of the improvement of vehicles through litigation is that of the seatbelt after the death of Bart Moran.
In 1996, Bart Moran was driving his 1997 Dodge Minivan in Corpus Christi, Texas, when he experienced a low-speed rollover. His seat belt unlatched and he was ejected from the van, sustaining severe injuries including a broken neck and head injuries. Moran died from these injuries and court cases soon proved the dangers of cars with inferior or no seat belts.
The Gen 3 seatbelt installed in the minivan Bart was driving, as well as 14 million other DaimlerChrysler vehicles, had a button that stuck out over the button cover, making it easily accidentally depressed by a limb or loose object. The seat belt was insecure and malfunctioned, often at times of accidents when the restraint system is most important. Fifteen deaths and 18 injuries later, Chrysler's engineers had located the problem and redesigned the seat belt, but the car manufacturer continued to use the Gen 3 defective seatbelt in many models.
Bart Moran's widow, Yvonne, won a $6.7 million court award from Daimler Chrysler and the seat belt manufacturer in 2000. Until this point, car companies had sold vehicles with safer seat belts to foreign markets, but continued to save $12 per car by installing insufficient restraining systems, like lap belts, in cars in the United States.
This court decision forced the car and seat belt manufacturer to install safer, three-point seat belts in their vehicles.
Read more about the role of litigation in auto safety.
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