Engineering innovations and inventions have made nearly all aspects of our modern lives convenient and safe. We take for granted most of the conveniences modern innovations offer us in our daily lives, be it the ease of which we can access the internet or the gratification of turning on a television set and having hundreds of channels instantly available.
Another aspect of our daily lives that has been greatly affected by modern innovation and engineering is our daily commute. Our society has swiftly progressed to being nearly entirely dependent on our automobiles.
Our vehicles have become a necessary, integrated part of our daily life. According to a recent study by the Harvard Health Watch, the average American spends 101 minutes driving every day, adding up to about 37,935 hours in an average life time.
Needless to say, we, Americans, spend a lot of time driving our cars. In the last twenty years, as we become more and more dependent on our cars, we have seen significant innovations making us safer than ever while we drive; among those innovations are safety glass, anti-lock braking systems, the three-point safety belt and the airbag.
Our cars are smarter than ever, it will not be long before all vehicles are equipped with a digital dash and collision avoidance systems. Unfortunately, we take most of these safety features in our cars for granted.
An unfortunate example of this is the recent controversy surrounding Takata Corporation. Takata Corporation is a Japanese company that provides millions upon millions of airbags to automobile manufactures, mainly Honda and their luxury brand Acura. Recently, the company settled a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman who was seriously injured by a Takata airbag when she was involved in an auto accident
The woman was left a quadriplegic by the injuries she sustained by the faulty airbag, she spent nearly two years in the hospital before she died in April of this year. Investigations have uncovered the fact that the Takata airbags, when deployed, are deployed with such force that deadly shards of metal are hurdled at the victim; often causing serious injuries and even death. In fact, 14 deaths have been linked to faulty Takata airbags
In recent years, automobile manufacturers who installed Takata airbags have issued recalls, causing at least 100 million vehicles to be recalled worldwide. In the United States, nearly 65 million vehicles have been recalled or will be recalled because of faulty Takata airbags
The potential hazard is so serious, that in June 2016 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned owners of vehicles that have the faulty Takata airbags, mostly Hondas, to stop driving the vehicles until they have been repaired. The United States Justice Department has been investigating Takata Corporation since 2014 for any possible criminal actions.
Attorney Peter Tragos commented, “Corporations have a responsibility to make sure that the products they bring to market are safe for customers and consumers. When they fail to live up to this responsibility, they must be held accountable for their actions, or in some cases, inaction.”
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