Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Auto Accident Law — Auto Safety Devices from the Testing Room to the Steering Wheel

There have been proposed ideas that have worked their way through the legislature to improve safety for drivers on the road.

Take the bitter dispute over the signed law permitting the City of Chicago to install speeding cameras, for instance.

As discussed in the past, many attempted to spin this as nothing more than a money making device on behalf of the City. If studies are to be believed, however, then perhaps pushing measures through the legislature truly is the proper way to go in improving motorist safety.

A report by the Highway Loss Data Institute indicates that it may take up to as long as three decades for auto manufacturers to make new and improved safety devices mandatory going forward.

For instance, the report notes that front air bags were first introduced in 1980, but weren’t mandated by government standards until 1999 — another 19 years. Even then, estimates suggest that dual front airbags will not be found in 95% of all new vehicles until 2016 — an additional 3 years from now, and approximately 35 years after they were introduced.

Tellingly, the study notes that

“[u]ltimately, what drives the proliferation of safety features is a combination of government mandates, increasingly stringent crash-test standards, and consumer interest.”

In other words, sometimes legislative pushing and prodding is the only way to make safety measures mandatory — and it is factors such as these that can make a world of difference sooner rather than later in either alleviating (or at least dulling the impact) of a number of harmful and deadly accidents.

You can contact us here 24/7/365 (and we really mean that as we will answer our phone) if you have anyquestions and to learn how we may be able to help you in the unfortunate event of an accident that caused you or your family or friends injuries – in particular, you will find that we listen, take your phone calls and e-mails (and even text messages!). We would be honored to help you with your matters – large or small.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Berenz Law Network

Chicago injury attorney Phil Berenz has secured substantial settlements and verdicts for clients in personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. He has also successfully defended businesses and individuals against lawsuits, winning judgments that far exceeded the amounts plaintiffs originally sought.

Latest posts by Berenz Law Network (see all)

• After the Crash, Write It Down: Why an Injury Diary Helps - April 9, 2026