San Diego Braking System Failure Lawyers
Auto, Motorcycle and Truck Accidents : Braking System Failures
One of the most valuable features of a vehicle is its brakes. Motor vehicles vary in size and weight, but all are inherently dangerous because of the potential force they carry while traveling. Being able to effectively stop a motor vehicle is necessary for the safety of everyone on the road and is the best way to prevent a crash. Unfortunately, brake systems don’t always function like they are supposed to and sometimes fail altogether. Braking system failures greatly increase the risk of a serious injury or fatal auto accident, which is why the brakes on a vehicle need to be properly tested before the vehicle is marketed to consumers.
How Does a Vehicle’s Braking System Work?
Every driver knows that pressing the brake pedal with their foot will slow down and eventually stop the vehicle, but not many understand how that is accomplished. The basic order of events is as follows:
- Depress the brake pedal;
- Car transmits force from your foot to the brakes through a fluid, “brake fluid;”
- Car multiplies the force of your foot to the relative force required to slow/stop the car;
- Brakes transmit force to tires using friction;
- Tires transmit force from brakes to road, also using friction;
- Car slows down/stops.
Antilock Brakes
Aside from the obvious press on the brake pedal, the car slows down the function of a vehicle’s braking system, most vehicles are equipped with an antilock braking system (ABS). Antilock brakes are designed to help drivers avoid accidents by allowing for more effective braking, especially on wet or slippery surfaces. Hard braking with a non-antilock braking system can lock up the wheels, causing the vehicle to skid and lose control, which would likely cause a crash instead of prevent one. Antilock brakes help decrease stopping distance and increase control and stability during hard braking.
Causes of Braking System Failures
Braking systems typically fail in circumstances involving hard braking and usually as the result of defective components, but, malfunctioning technology also plays its part. The brake pads could be made of poor quality materials, the brake fluid line may be of a substandard diameter, be made of poor quality materials, or be defective in other ways, and/or the brake sensors could malfunction.
Consequences of Brake Failure
Brake system failure would likely cause what the hard braking was trying to avoid: a car crash. Failure of a brake system completely or an ABS failure can both result in the vehicle veering out of control, which would likely cause not one accident, but many. The ability of a braking system to handle hard braking is imperative to safety.
How We Can Help
If a vehicle is marketed with a defective, untested, or poor quality braking system, it puts the lives of everyone on the road in danger. At the Jurewitz Law Group, our San Diego product liability attorneys are committed to recovering fair and maximum compensation for braking system failure car accident victims. To learn more about holding negligent auto manufacturers accountable for your losses, contact us today at (888) 233-5020 for a free consultation.
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