Seatbelts Save Lives… But Will Your Seatbelt Work Properly During An Accident?

Clicking on your seat belt each time you slide behind the wheel gives you a sense of security – if you were to get into a serious accident, such as a rollover accident, your seatbelt system would prevent you from slamming into the windshield, hitting the roof of your car, or even being ejected from your vehicle. But… could your seatbelt be defective? Could it fail when put to the test?

Unfortunately, while seatbelts are the premier safety feature in any car and while buckling your seatbelt is the single best action you can take to prevent car accident injuries, not all seat belts work properly and some can fail altogether when you need them most.

Just a few months ago, a family settled a defective seatbelt lawsuit with Ford Motor Company for an undisclosed amount of money. In that case, a man was driving his Ford Explorer when he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped over several times. Even though the car accident victim was wearing his seatbelt, the restraint system failed and the man died after being thrown from the car. Evidence showed that even though he was buckled up, his seatbelt was not effective.

What goes wrong when a car restraint system fails? In some cases, the seatbelt design is poor, while in other cases, the seatbelts are defective because of a manufacturing or installation mistake. One common seatbelt defect involves a failure to hold, in which the actual buckle of the seat belt can’t withstand the force of an accident. Another common seatbelt defect involves internal unlatching, in which the seat belt is released due to a latching defect.

What should you do if you have been injured because of a defective seatbelt or if a loved one has been killed in a car accident involving a defective seatbelt? Talk to a St. Louis defective product attorney today about your case.