• 15
  • February
    2012

Traffic accidents can be the result of a number of factors that might be outside the control of the vehicle driver. While driver inattention or misjudgement is a major consideration in the occurance of accidents, mechanical trouble or unexpected road conditions play a significant if not equal role. In particular, drivers of vehicles with higher reliability rates and with less mechanical problems might be less likely to experience an accident then drivers of less dependable vehicles. From the standpoint of reason, this makes sense because you can rest assured that a reliable vehicle will respond to your every command while on the road, the same can not be said of a poorly designed vehicle or one that is defective. A recent example of this is Toyota's problems with unexpected acceleration in some model vehicles. If a driver is not able to control the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, how safe can the road be?

In the most recent J.D. Power dependability studies, Toyota claims the top spot as the auto world's most dependable brand. This comes after a slate of recent quality problems plagued the renown Japanese auto manufacturer. Other top performers, including Ford and General Motors, helped "the industry average for problems per 100 vehicles fall to the lowest" since the J.D. Power study was first introduced.

With Toyota's Lexus brand at the top, followed by model lines from Porsche, GM, Damiler, and Ford, Japanese and American model vehicles scored the highest ratings in their respective vehicle classes. This is a large improvement for American brands that just a few years ago were on the verge of collapse, and for Toyota, which is only just starting to recover from both the setbacks of recent safety recalls and the production interruptions resulting from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the auto industry's worst performers included American-based Chrysler Group, German brands Volkswagen and Audi, as well as U.K.-based Jaguar.

Dependability of motor vehicles driven plays a significant factor in the search for greater road safety and in the hopes of lowed accident rates. However beyond this, dependability of vehicles plays a role in helping us, as consumers, pick the right car to buy. No one wants to purchase something that does not start half the time or that has uncontrolled mobility issues. The more dependable the vehicle, chances are the safer that vehicle is.

The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth has served our community for more than a quarter century. Our experienced legal team had handled personal injury cases resulting from accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles. Located in San Gabriel and in Rowland Heights, we can be reached at (626) 380.9992. Please call for a free consultation or feel free to use our free online case evaluation form.