Defective Seatbelts | Attorneys, Lawyers & Legal Resources

Defective Seatbelts

Seatbelts are often the difference between life and death in an auto accident. A faulty seatbelt can send a passenger lunging into the dashboard or windshield. Even worse, a defective seatbelt may result in the ejection of a passenger if their vehicle flips over. Seatbelts are made to endure powerful forces that are exerted on occupants during front-end crashes and rollovers. The government has established certain criteria for seatbelts that automakers must incorporate into all of their vehicles to avoid a lawsuit.

Seatbelt and latch defects

Seatbelt-related injuries can be contributed to a variety of malfunctions. Here are some of the more common examples:

Lap belts leading to spinal and internal injuries

Seatbelt latches unbuckling during crashes

Spooling difficulties that create excess slack or fail to tighten when the brakes are abruptly applied

Electric and door-mounted seatbelts failing to prevent occupants from ejection

Seatbelts busting loose from their docks

A faulty seatbelt can be the cause of various severe and occasionally deadly injuries such as a crushed pelvis, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury.

Child seatbelt safety

Child seats and seatbelts can potentially harm small children. If a child is not positioned properly in a child seat designed to be used with that vehicle's seatbelt, an accident could even prove fatal for the child. Although technological advancements have helped reduce children's injuries caused by seatbelts, they are still occurring too frequently. Parents should always ensure that their automobile's seatbelts and a child seat can coexist before allowing their toddler to go for a ride. Some seatbelts do not function appropriately with child seats in the event of airbag deployment. As terrible as it sounds, this may end in decapitation, so parents have a few things to think about before driving their little tyke around town.