More than 51 million vehicles. According to CNBC, that was the total amount of recalled vehicles in 2015. The news reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had to change some numbers for 2014 (it came in at just under 51 million) to account for the Takata airbag cases, which accounted for 19 million vehicles (and oddly enough, 23 million inflators), over the last two years. In a related note, NBC News reports that federal regulators have just linked a 10^th death to the exploding airbags; whether the additional 5 million vehicles are including in that 51 has not yet been released.

The chances that the NHTSA might actually start throwing their weight around to hold auto makers accountable is dubious, despite an historic meeting between the US Transportation Department and a number of automakers earlier in the year, wherein all of them pledged to make cars safer to and to reduce (if not eliminate) the number of recalls we see each year. To help support these measures, Congress has agreed to let the NHTSA triple penalties for auto manufacturers who violate safety regulations.

As safety regulations are more strictly enforced, however, we may actually see the number of recalls go up. The potential increase, while frightening, is actually a good sign: it means that manufacturers are taking the threat seriously. The more recalls we see, perhaps the more safe we will be from auto accidents caused by defective or dangerous parts. As Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, D.C., says, the numbers of recalls may increase “because of the threat of sanctions – which jump to $105 million per safety violation under the new U.S. transportation bill.”

What this means for all of us

If the NHTSA makes good on its promise to crack down on defective auto products and truly hold manufacturers responsible, ultimately we might be safer. However, they have come under fire quite a bit for not raising the alarm soon enough. Auto makers are unlikely to follow strict new rules if those rules are not enforced – or at least, so history has shown us. It will take a joint effort between the NHTSA and the 18 automakers who signed the pledge to truly make a difference. As for the rest of us, we much continue to demand accountability from those who put their profits ahead of our safety.

If you are injured in an auto accident in Tennessee because of a defective auto part in your car, or in the car of the person who hit you, you do have options for your future. The Sevierville auto accident attorneys of the Delius & McKenzie are here to help. Please contact us to speak with an experienced defective auto products lawyer serving Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, and the surrounding areas.