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Blog Post

Defective Seat Belts

Posted by: Craig A. Knapp
July 23, 2011
Topic: Seat Belts and Air Bags

It's the first thing you're told to do when getting in the car, "Put on your seat belt." Seat belts are said to be a high determinant in whether or not someone lives or dies in an accident, making it the most important safety component in your vehicle. But what happens when the thing you rely on most is unreliable? Defective seat belts claim an estimated 6,000 lives each year.

What is a defective seat belt?

A defective seat belt is a seat belt that is not working properly or how it was designed to work.

Examples of possible defective seat belts include:

Faulty latch: Your seat belt seems like it's in, you heard it click when you buckled it, but the latch does not stay connected.

Inertial unlatching: Upon impact or collision, your seat belt becomes unlatched due to poor pressure resistance.

Excessive slack in the belt: Instead of your belt locking when you hit the breaks, the belt moves freely, causing the seat belt to be useless in a collision or sudden stop.

When we at Knapp & Roberts typically write a blog, our goal is to provide useful information to avoid accidents. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to defective seat belts, there isn't much that can be done to prevent these things from happening. The best advice we can provide is to do your research when buying your car. Try to buy a credible name brand vehicle with a good safety rating by NHTSA.

Regardless of the brand of your vehicle, type of collision, the cause of an accident, or who is at fault, a seat belt is something that should be reliable. If you or someone you love has been injured in an automobile accident due to a defective seat belt, do not hesitate to give Knapp & Roberts' attorneys a call. Your seat belt is the most important safety item in your car and it should be working properly. Help prevent future defective seat belt accidents from happening to others who own your vehicle.


The Knapp & Roberts law firm represents serious injury and wrongful death clients throughout Arizona, including the communities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Goodyear, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Yuma in the Valley of the Sun - Maricopa County, Pinal County, Coconino County, Yuma County, and Gila County.