Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants

Resources & Opportunities Reviewed
Automotive
Product
Liability
by Margaret Lucas Agius, CLA
We drive them every day—cars, trucks and sport utility
vehicles. Some legal assistants defend them every day as well.
In the area of automotive product liability, there are some
helpful resources that are assets both to rookies and veteran paralegals,
whether working for defendants or plaintiffs. There also
are employment opportunities that may be of interest to legal
assistants interested in automotive product liability. A review of
these resources and opportunities is offered here, along with some
examples of how legal assistants are utilized in this area of the law.
References and Resources
One challenge for a legal assistant working in the
automotive product liability arena is learning the engineering
terms, jargon, and the “alphabet soup” of acronyms. A chart
of some commonly used acronyms, including definitions and
associated Web sites, is provided with this article to help in
mastering the vernacular.
The acronym that stands out from the rest, and will
become a key part of the automotive product liability paralegal’s
vocabulary, is NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration). The NHTSA Web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
offers a wealth of information, including compliance testing,
consumer complaints, defect investigations, recalls, and technical
service bulletins.
As described at the Web site, NHTSA is charged with a
broad range of responsibilities:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), under the U.S. Department of
Transportation, was established by the Highway
Safety Act of 1970, as the successor to the
National Highway Safety Bureau, to carry out
safety programs under the National Traffic and
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway
Safety Act of 1966. The Vehicle Safety Act has
subsequently been recodified under Title 49 of the
U. S. Code in Chapter 301, Motor Vehicle Safety.
NHTSA also carries out consumer programs
established by the Motor Vehicle Information and
Cost Savings Act of 1972, which has been recodified
in various Chapters under Title 49.
NHTSA is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries
and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle
crashes. This is accomplished by setting and
enforcing safety performance standards for motor
vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and
through grants to state and local governments to
enable them to conduct effective local highway
safety programs.
NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles,
sets and enforces fuel economy standards,
helps states and local communities reduce the
threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety
belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates
odometer fraud, establishes and enforces
vehicle anti-theft regulations and provides consumer
information on motor vehicle safety topics.
Another acronym that is part of every automotive product
liability legal assistant’s vocabulary is VIN (Vehicle Identification
Number). A VIN is to a vehicle what a Social Security
number is to a U.S. citizen. There are a number of Web sites
that offer free, basic information (e.g., year, manufacturer,
country of assembly, model, style and body type, and engine)
about a vehicle based only on its VIN.
12
FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003