Jeep sued for rear end fatality - Automatic braking only available in luxury tier

A somewhat interesting case is going to trial.

Quote:

The crash on Aug. 15, 2015, killed 4-year-old Vivian Varela, who was riding in the back seat of her mother’s Lexus sedan. Melissa Varela was preparing to take an exit from the Loop 101 freeway in north Phoenix when traffic stopped because an emergency vehicle was blocking the off-ramp, according to one of her lawyers, Brent Ghelfi. A nurse who had just ended her shift at a nearby hospital was also intending to take the exit but did not notice stopped traffic until it was too late. Her Jeep Grand Cherokee slammed into the back of the Lexus, killing Vivian and injuring her mother. ... Ghelfi said the 2014 Jeep could have been equipped with Fiat Chrysler’s version of automatic emergency braking but it was only included as an option with a package upgrade that added $10,000 to its price.

https://www.pennlive.com/nation-worl...ourt-says.html

The vehicle manufactuer offers an automatic braking technology that is designed to prevent his exact kind of traffic collision. Though the technology itself is rather inexpensive, about $100, Jeep only offers it in the more expensive luxury trim that costs some $10,000 more than base tier models.

Quote:

“And the real tragedy here is they option it,” Ghelfi said. “They take a safety feature and they bundle it together with moonroof and leather seats and non-safety features. So you can only get the safety feature if you buy the upgraded trim level.”

Automatic braking systems are not required by federal standards, so Jeep argues that it has every right to bundle this safety system however it pleases.

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/ZPJj2bR