Car accident solicitor news
09/02/2010

Stay parked until issue fixed, says lawyer

A Manchester-based car accident solicitor has warned Toyota owners that they risk being considered liable for personal injury claims in the event that, following recall of vehicles with faulty accelerators, they take to the road and suffer an defective accelerator-related crash.

"If you have one of the affected Toyota models, you should not drive the car until it has been checked out," the car accident solicitor said.

"The recall puts you on notice that there could be a fault, which means that you assume responsibility. You could be held criminally and civilly responsible for an accident and, in the case of a fatal accident, you could be charged with death by dangerous driving. If you have one of these cars, don't drive it," he added.

Road accident litigation experts in the US have been offering Toyota owners the same advice, with Ray LaHood, Barack Obama's transport secretary, saying motorists must "exercise caution until repairs can be made".

However, Toyota has said that affected models remain safe to drive unless "there are warning signs that will indicate that your vehicle might have a problem, such as the accelerator pedal becoming harder to depress or slow to return to its normal position".

Despite this, considering the potential safety risk, consumers might be best advised to heed the warnings of the Manchester-based car accident solicitor.