Last week, there was a lot of media hype over the federal government’s exciting news that we’re doing something right: statistics show that there are less U.S. traffic fatalities now than in 1950.
Cars are safer, government experts opine. Roads are better, others suggest. Laws and regulations are having their desired effect, still others believe.
These are all true — these are all contributing factors to the truth that fewer people are dying in car crashes now than they were decades ago. However, what’s not being discussed in all this reporting is one of the primary reasons cars are made safer, roadways are better built and more routinely maintained, and laws have been passed to protect motorists.
One of those reasons, like it or not, is the fact that courageous men and women across this country took their injustices to court and fought against huge automakers, powerful governments, and intimidating insurance companies because they or their loved ones had been seriously injured or killed because of defective automotive products, dangerous roadways, and a lack of governmental oversight.
These plaintiffs, who sued the likes of Ford and Firestone and GMC, are the ones who should be celebrating this record-breaking news today. They are the victors here.
