It is easy to resent the way your car wreaks havoc on your finances, especially in New Mexico, where public transportation options are few. You cannot get to work without your car, but a substantial portion of your paycheck goes to your monthly car payment, so substantial, in fact, that by the time vehicle taxes come due every year, there is barely any money left in your bank account after you pay. If you think car payments break the bank, though, think of medical bills.
Healthcare is so expensive that even a minor injury can obliterate your savings and leave you living paycheck to paycheck for the foreseeable future. The good news is that, while drivers today are probably no more cautious than they were in the past, the design features of the current models of cars do a better job of preventing severe injury in the event of a collision than the cars of previous decades used to be. If car accident injuries are causing you physical or financial pain, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accident lawyer.
Today’s Steering Columns Have Airbags Instead of the Trendiest New Hazardous Feature
Not only do steering wheels help you steer clear of a collision, but they also protect you if you cannot avoid hitting another car or it hitting your vehicle. Today’s steering columns are made of plastic that is flexible enough to bend in the event of an impact, but more importantly, they are equipped with airbags that inflate during an accident. Better that your body collides with an inflated cushion than with a piece of metal, which is what steering wheels used to be made out of.
The design of car steering systems has changed over the course of the automobile era. In the beginning, cars had rudders, like ships, so the fact that steering wheels exist at all is a reason to count your blessings. In the early decades, steering wheels were made out of metal. Before the 1970s, some of them had protruding parts that could cause injury in the event of a collision; read the Wikipedia article about Sammy Davis, Jr.’s car accident injury if you are not too squeamish. There was even a brief period in the 1960s when cars’ steering columns resembled video game controllers, with knobs instead of a wheel.
The Humble Headrest Can Prevent Whiplash Injury
The most effective automobile safety features are the simplest ones. The seatbelt has prevented more traffic fatalities than any other vehicle feature. Likewise, the headrest, introduced in the 1960s, made rear-end car accidents less dangerous because it reduced the severity of whiplash injury. Today, rear-end collisions usually do not cause severe injury unless they happen at high speeds.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in motor vehicle accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
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Photo by Samuele Errico Piccarini on Unsplash