It is required by law that the manufacturers of a truck or car design that vehicle so that it is safe on anticipated impacts. It is known that accidents will occur. Thus, the design of a car must take into account the likely types of impact that can occur so that the occupants of the car will be safe under normal circumstances.
Many injures can be minimized with better car design. While you can not make a car safe at all speeds, there is no need for the car to be unsafe at any speed. There are a number of crashworthiness issues that give rise to manufacturer liability.
The most common defects include failures with respect to seat belt design, tire and tread design, the vehicles ability to avoid rollover on turning or roll over on impact which is related to another issue -- roof crush resitance or roof strength, the strength of the seat backs so that a driver is not ejected backwards on rear impact, the performance of the door latches so that doors do not fly open on impact, or the poor performance of the airbags which may fail to prevent serious head injuries. Other failure may include poor brake performance, which may prevent the car from stopping in an adequate distance, or poor placement and performance of the gas or fuel tank, which may lead to a car fire.
