It’s not often than an automobile safety issue can become a political talking point in the battle between Democrats and Republicans, but here we are.
Republicans have recently taken to questioning the government under the Obama administration over whether or not they have a conflict of interest in investigating battery fires in General Motors’s Chevy Volt. The government, you see, owns 26.5% of the company’s shares.
For their part, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that they did not give the company a free pass.
The argument stems from an incident in June in which a test car caught fire weeks after a side-impact test. Two other safety tests also created fires. An investigation was launched on November 25, and last week, the government stated that the electric Volt did not pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-fueled counterparts. Republicans are condemning the delay between the initial fire and the investigation announcement, a delay they say was used to broker new mileage standards.
As a car accident attorney in Fresno, I hate to see matters of safety being used as a tool for a political cause. I like to think that safety is paramount to anyone in a position of power, and I hope that societal welfare is never put at risk for the sake of politics. I’m a Fresno car accident lawyer, and I think those in power need to learn to put politics aside to further the common good.
