Federal Safety Standards for Passenger Cars
Federal safety standards require manufacturers to certify that their vehicles meet certain safety requirements before the vehicle can be sold in the United States. Does that mean they are safe? Unfortunately, the answer is often no. Federal safety standards are the bare minimums which must be met and are set very low, especially considering that most were enacted in 1972 and have not been raised despite improvements in technology and designs over the past 35 years. Also, despite the manufacturer certifications that their vehicles meet the standards, recalls of vehicles with safety defects that would lead to permanent injury or death are at an all-time high, involving literally millions of vehicles each year.
