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Can You Hold a Driver Accountable for an Accident Due to a Badly Maintained Car?


— December 21, 2021

Drivers need to maintain the vehicle components to make sure that it functions correctly.


The car owners are accountable for the correct maintenance and upkeep of their cars. The correct maintenance makes sure that a car is secure for driving and ensures that the drivers are out of trouble. And when the drivers tend to fail, and there is a car crash, the victims can hold the drivers accountable for not maintaining the car.

The manufacturers, repair shops, and the car dealership can also bear the liability. Also, if you got injured in the accident due to a poorly maintained vehicle, you need to call the car accident attorneys from Jiles Law, P.A. to discuss the claim. 

The vehicle maintenance problems resulting in accidents

Drivers need to maintain the vehicle components to make sure that it functions correctly. At times, the drivers don’t require to do anything other than solve the issues as it comes up. And when the car owner fails to maintain the car, they might become accountable for the damages that take place during accidents. The car components that you need to check daily and maintain include:

  • Windshield wipers
  • Tires
  • Turn signals
  • Horn
  • Brake lights
  • Brakes
  • Headlights
  • Taillights

Drivers need to make sure that the tires are correctly inflated. If it’s not, it can make the car more challenging to manage, while the over-inflation might lead to a blowout as the car moves. The lights can warn the other drivers concerning the upcoming traffic movements. Also, if it doesn’t work, it can lead to rear-end crashes, head-on collisions, and intersection accidents. Also, in case the car owner fails to ensure that the seatbelts don’t work, they can get held liable if the passenger gets injured because of a seatbelt malfunction. 

The liability of the repair shop

When the car owners take their car to the shop for a repair, the shop is accountable to ensure that the repairs get done correctly. If there is a loose bolt or nut on the tire, it can result in a severe accident which leads to injuries. When that happens, the repair shop can get accountable for the damages for the injured people. 

Also, the car that are taken to the repair shop after an accident needs to substitute the airbags if they get deployed. And if this doesn’t happen, the shop can check the sensor and ensure that everything is in a good shape. And if the same car gets into another accident and passengers or the driver gets injured because of a failed implementation of the airbag, you can hold the repair shop accountable for this. 

The liability of the dealership

Last but not least, the accountability of the poor car maintenance might expand the dealership at a place where the car got leased or sold. It can occur if there was a problem with the car and the dealership knew it and didn’t correct it before leasing or selling the car to a person. 

Hence, when you get injured in a car accident; the proof burden falls inevitably on you as an injury victim. Therefore, you need to point and prove it to someone’s negligence. And doing this can get challenging. For this, you need the assistance of an expert car accident lawyer. 

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