Los Angeles Auto Accident due to Aftermarket Vehicles

Aftermarket vehicle modifications are changes made to an automobile after its sale, for aesthetic or personal reasons. Aftermarket changes often involve:

• High performance tires: Made to increase grip on the road, high performance tires can deform on a sharp turn, contributing to the likelihood of a rollover accident because of contact between a tire rim and the pavement. Inappropriate marketing or installation of tires on a sports utility vehicle (SUV) can contribute to rollover accidents giving rise to liability on the part of a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer.
• Spoilers: Used to increase downward force on a vehicle, spoilers can contribute to devastating rollover accidents. By altering handling and performance, aftermarket spoilers can be dangerous to drivers or their passengers unaware of their affect on a car traveling at high speeds.
• Vehicle alterations: Raising or lowering the suspension of a vehicle can have a significant affect on the likelihood of a vehicle rollover in an emergency situation.
• Vehicle additions: The addition of window tinting, extra-powerful headlights, tinted headlights, or fog lights can be dangerous additions to vehicles, both as hazards for the driver and oncoming traffic in inclement or nighttime driving conditions. These kinds of additions can be found at the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.

Aftermarket vehicles in California
While aftermarket alterations to a vehicle are commonly done by end-users, oftentimes alterations are made to the body—and thus the performance—of a vehicle after it has been manufactured but prior to its delivery by the end-use purchaser.

Types of aftermarket vehicles include:

• Recreational Vehicles (RV's)
• Limousines
• Handicap Accessible Vehicles
• Conversion Vans
• Buses
• Ambulances
• Taxicabs
• Camper Trailers
• Horse Trailers
• Flatbed Trailers
• Car Haulers

While automobile manufacturers are subject to regulation, safety testing, and inspection, aftermarket alterations are largely unregulated. Knowledgeable Los Angeles automobile accident attorneys can help you if you fall victim to injuries resulting from a Los Angeles auto accident. Conversion of a vehicle to suit an aftermarket purpose, such as a special use bus or ambulance, may have a dramatic effect on vehicle performance, including contribution to devastating injuries to drivers, passengers, or bystanders.