Press Releases

NASA’s Entrance into Toyota Safety Investigations Points out Serious Questions Remain about Sudden Acceleration Problems

Scientists with expertise in electronics now helping National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study potential connection to electronic systems in vehicles

Sacramento, Calif. (Martindale-Hubbell® Newswire / PRWEB) April 2, 2010 — This week’s announcement that NASA and the National Academy of Sciences are joining the federal government’s effort to determine the cause of sudden acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles is sobering evidence that serious questions remain in the minds of investigators, according to highly regarded car accident attorney Mark Doughty.

According to reports by CBS News and other leading news organizations, NASA scientists with particular expertise in electronics will be assisting investigators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with their study into a possible connection between the unintended acceleration problems in Toyotas and the vehicles’ electronic systems.

Meanwhile, the National Academy of Sciences will launch a year-long review of the acceleration problems and make a series of recommendations about how the federal government can ensure the safety of electronic vehicle controls in cars throughout the auto industry.

“This unusual move to involve two leading scientific agencies in the investigation illustrates that there are still unresolved issues related to the problems with sudden acceleration in Toyotas, and suggests to me that serious questions remain in the minds of federal investigators as to the cause of these safety problems,” said Doughty, founding partner of The Law Offices of Mark A. Doughty, a law firm that practices personal injury law throughout Northern California, with offices in Sacramento, Calif., Lincoln, Calif. and Yuba City, Calif.

Toyota’s problems surfaced in November 2009, when the company recalled 4.2 million vehicles due to what they said was a design flaw that could cause the gas pedal to become trapped under the floor mat. Toyota continued to receive pressure and reports of unintended acceleration and stuck pedals even in cases where the floor mats had been removed. Since that time, a series of additional recalls has affected millions of more Toyota vehicles.

“It’s important that Toyota owners take these recalls seriously and, if they’ve been involved in an accident caused by an unintended acceleration problem, that they hire an attorney with specific knowledge and experience in handling serious car accident cases,” said Doughty.

For more information about The Law Offices of Mark A. Doughty, please go to www.golaw.com or call 916.979.1917.