Cars are one of the most valuable and necessary assets in the average Australian household due to the role they play in our day to day lives. Since we spend a large part of our day commuting from place to place in our car, safety is one of its imperative requirements. Vehicle safety is also important in maintaining its reputation and sale / resale value. Additionally, it also reduces the number of vehicle-related accidents, injuries and fatalities on the road. Over the last few years, vehicle recalling has been prioritised significantly to ensure cars in the current market, including the luxury ones, meet the safety standards and requirements. Let us look at some reasons why vehicle manufacturing recalls are important:
- Conventional safety features aren’t quite hitting the mark: Standard safety features such as SRS airbags, ABS systems, bonnets and gears have been under scrutiny. This has been evidenced by cases such as the Takata airbags and litigations made against car manufacturers such as Hyundai and Subaru. There are sufficient cases to prove that even parts and features that are vital in every vehicle and were once taken for granted are proving to cause serious damages and negatively affect vehicle safety, which is increasing the pressure on recalling these vehicles and redoing their features to cater to the safety needs and requirements these days.
- ‘Luxury brands’ don’t get a free pass: There is a general assumption that fancy luxury vehicles have the best safety features because of their brand, image, expense and reputation. However, famous luxury brands such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Maserati have been in the firing line due to issues with airbags, brakes and vehicle interiors that were deemed to be unsafe and hazardous.
- Legal implications can be costly: Our society is turning more litigious than ever and lawsuits are costing companies millions of dollars in compensation together with their reputation and image being damaged at the click of the finger through the viral and widespread nature of social media. Hence, car manufacturers have needed to be extra careful in not only designing and developing safe features but disclosing accurate information about them to the general public.
- Ensuring consistency in safety standards: Recalling serves a purpose in not just holding faulty and defective cars accountable but also ensuring that vehicles that are currently being manufactured are adhering to the highest quality to safety features that will be beneficial for passengers, other vehicles on the road and society in general. Many more tests and operations are being performed at every stage ranging from the manufacture and assembly of parts to the driving stage before a vehicle is released into the market for sale to ensure that these safety standards are not just met but are being prioritised and exceeded.
If you are concerned about the safety of your vehicle windscreen and worry that it may be under scrutiny for a recall, contact Gippsland Windscreen Repairs for a repair or replacement of your windscreen.
