Component Considerations: Less than one percent of accidents caused by technical defects, says recent study

Berlin, Germany – A recent study by German research institute FKA indicates that less than one percent of fatal accidents are caused by technical defects.

Notably, according to the study fatalities due to component failures in passenger cars and transport vehicles represents just 0.7 percent of 3,167 recorded collisions.

The study further comes at the same time the European Commission is considering an amendment to requirements on vehicle roadworthiness assessments.

Of the accidents that were due to component failures, the most common component issue was tires at 64 percent, followed by lighting equipment at 9 percent, brakes at 8 percent, steering issues at two percent, and towing devices at two percent.

The study concludes with recommendations that vehicle manufacturers should employ better data collection on the causes of accidents while also ensuring that vehicle design and testing requirements are handled within existing type approval regulations.

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