Seat belt question

[Earlsfat]

I didn't want to post this in the other thread... it just seems wrong to do it there.

IF a car manufacturer puts a seat belt in a car and the car is able to do in excess of the seat belt's strength and the seat belt breaks and fails to protect the driver... does the driver have grounds for a claim against the manufacturer???? The manufacturer is inherently stating that their vehicle is safe to drive at those speeds by providing safety equipment and permitting the vehicle to "do the speed" that the speedometer indicates. If the safety equipment can't handle speeds in excess of 100 mph, then the vehicle should not be able to exceed 100 mph.

Even if the owner / driver circumvents the manufacturers intentions of speed limitations via modifications to the engine / drivetrain etc, the manufacturer should be somewhat responsible for safety claims up to the speeds indicated on the speedometer of a stock car.

I mean... Christ if Hypsi was only doing 100, and the belt broke... maybe the damn seat belt didn't do it's job? (and yeah 100 isn't really THAT fast... if a KIA minivan can do it...) Something maybe his family ought to consider.

I understand that the manufacturer can't be responsible for a driver who's abusing the vehicle, but for a seta belt to BREAK??? That's just downright scary.

[-Josh-]

I'm sure if you read in the fine print there's probably something along the lines of "such and such product was tested at average US Highway speeds, not responsible for abuse or exceeding legal speeds as tested." Or something like that.

You also have to keep in mind that it was an 18 year old car he was driving.

However yes, it is wrong that a safety device that the government advocates so strongly on and tickets us for not wearing, fails....The whole situation is/was just wrong in every way.

[Earlsfat]

Agreed.

They should incorporate the same steel cables they use in air bags into seta belts.