The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the nation’s agency for monitoring motor vehicle and highway safety. NHTSA is responsible for recalling defective products in the automobile industry, but lately decision making seems to favor the manufacturers and not the consumers.
The NHTSA is at it again with another proposal that seeks to protect Auto manufacturers from being held responsible for their products. On October 8th, the NHTSA released a final rule on seatbelt safety and designated seating positions. The language used by the NHTSA essentially prohibits consumers involved in automobile accidents from legally claiming they were unable to wear a seatbelt due to lack of a sufficient number of seatbelts or their placement in the vehicle.
The President of the American Association for Justice, Les Weisbrod states that “NHTSA has taken every opportunity to eliminate citizens’ basic right to hold vehicle manufacturers accountable when they have made a defective product,” and that “We have seen this time and again from NHTSA; they put manufacturer costs and profits ahead of consumer protections. This time, NHTSA’s seatbelt rule straps consumers of their basic civil right—the right to a justice system.”
