Most states, including Georgia, do not require routine vehicle safety inspections. In other words, there are no Lawrenceville car inspection laws that drivers need to satisfy. According to a study of crash causes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 2% of traffic accidents result from equipment failures.
While this might not seem like many collisions, Georgia has hundreds of thousands of crashes each year, meaning thousands of people may suffer injury or death due to someone else’s defective or dangerous vehicle.
After a crash in Lawrenceville, GA, an attorney from Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys can help you identify all your options for pursuing a car accident claim. Call our office at 678-446-3655 for a free initial consultation.
How Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help After a Car Accident in Lawrenceville, GA
Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys was established in 2012 to represent victims of traumatic injuries in Lawrenceville, Georgia, against the people and businesses responsible for harming them. Our Lawrenceville car accident attorney has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for clients like you.
If someone else’s negligent or intentional actions injure you, our attorney provides the following:
- A free consultation to discuss your injuries and how we can help you
- Aggressive negotiations to try to settle your case without the time and cost of a trial
- Extensive litigation experience to fight insurers in court if they refuse to settle
A car accident can leave you with mountains of medical bills and no way to pay them. Contact our Lawrenceville personal injury lawyer to learn about your rights under Georgia law to seek compensation.
How Many Georgia Crashes Result From Equipment Failures?
According to a search of crash statistics on the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Crash Data Portal, Georgia had 14,997 traffic crashes resulting from equipment failures in 2022. The total number of traffic accidents for the same year was 384,527. This means 3.9% of the state’s crashes that year happened when a vehicle malfunctioned.
The most common equipment failures listed by the crash data portal included:
- Brakes
- Tires
- Lights
- Steering
- Mirrors
- Trailer hitch
- Power train
- Suspension
- Windshield and windows
- Wipers
When a vehicle experiences a malfunction, the driver can lose control of the vehicle. They can hit a fixed object or run off the road. They can also collide with another vehicle or hit a pedestrian. The vehicle occupants can suffer serious injuries such as whiplash and concussions.
Car Inspection Laws in Lawrenceville, GA
In 1966, Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This law attempted to standardize traffic and vehicle safety across the country. They did this by setting standards and then empowering the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to withhold highway funding from any state that did not pass laws to implement them.
One of the safety standards in the Act mandated that states require regular vehicle safety inspections. By 1975, 30 states and the District of Columbia had inspection regimens. That year, Congress withdrew the authority to withhold highway funding. States stopped passing vehicle inspection laws, and some began rolling them back.
Today, Georgia has no vehicle safety inspection requirement. Certain communities near Atlanta must have their emissions checked. But this testing is for pollution control rather than any safety concerns.
Vehicle Safety Enforcement
Georgia has laws that dictate the equipment vehicles must have to drive on public roads. For example, all automobiles must have a brake light and turn signals. States that conduct annual safety inspections, like North Carolina, inspect lights and other systems to verify that they are working.
Since Georgia does not conduct these kinds of inspections, there is no way to check that all registered vehicles meet the state’s equipment standards. But this does not mean the state lacks any enforcement mechanism.
Georgia gives police officers the authority to stop a vehicle based on a reasonable belief that it does not meet the state’s equipment standards. If the vehicle meets any one of three criteria, the police can issue a citation for a misdemeanor violation.
The criteria include the following:
- The vehicle is so unsafe that it endangers people
- The vehicle does not contain parts required by Georgia law in working condition
- The vehicle has equipment that is prohibited by the law
Importantly, the police do not need a warrant to inspect the vehicle.
Liability For Equipment Failures
If you get hit because someone else’s vehicle malfunctioned, you may still have a claim against the vehicle’s owner. Drivers have a legal responsibility to make sure their vehicles are in good working order. If a driver knows their vehicle’s equipment is faulty but does not get it fixed, the driver may have acted negligently.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Experienced Lawrenceville Car Accident Lawyer
A car accident can cause disabling or even fatal injuries regardless of the cause. Contact Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys for a free consultation to discuss the reason for your crash and the legal claims you may have under Georgia law.