WATCH: Footage Reveals How Glaring Defects In Safety Were Overlooked By NHTSA

On August 11, 2020, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General announced it would conduct an audit of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Inspector General cites the fact that 36,000 people died in traffic in the US in 2019 as cause for the audit. It may seem this has no connection to a recent Tesla Model Y accident in which the front passenger seat bent backward. The seat probably complies with FMVSS 207, which establishes requirements for seats, their attachment assemblies, and installation. The problem is this makes no difference to safety.

You may see the Model Y's curved seat and wonder how serious this can be. The answer, simply put, is that it can be fatal. Not only to rear-seat passengers – especially children – but also to people sitting in the front seats, as this video from March 1, 2016, shows.


 

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 8/14/2020 12:46:19 PM

+1 Boost

This how a great many children and adults die each year. You can blame NHTSA for sure, but the real blame is on the automakers for not making seats that are safe in a crash. If the front seats need to be a lot heavier, so be it. Killing back seat passengers can be easily prevented.

xjug1987a - 8/14/2020 7:41:53 PM

-1 Boost

I would say you can blame it on "accidents". There is no full proof safe vehicle and there never will be....

mre30 - 8/15/2020 10:27:12 PM

+3 Boost

All these cars seem pretty old. Crash protection 15 years ago (in 2005) was not as good as it was today, BUT..crash protection in 2005 WAS much better than in 1995 and 1985.

These are tragedies but serve as reminders about how far crash protection technologies have come.

At least these vehicles did not have 'Falcon Doors' that seem to fly open in a crash of a very new Tesla Model X (as shown in an Autospies video about two weeks ago).

Why is NHTSA not investigating Tesla "Autopilot", Tesla battery fires, or the myriad of possible safety issues with the questionably designed Model X Falcon Doors?