Texas had a vehicle safety inspection program for decades before repealing it. Thus, since January 1, 2025, car inspection laws in Austin, TX, have required only an emissions test, not any safety tests. This repeal may save drivers time and money. However, it increases the risk of car accidents caused by unsafe vehicles.
The liability for equipment-related traffic accidents can fall on car owners, auto manufacturers, or repair garages. The Austin car accident lawyers at McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers investigate and analyze crashes to identify all legal options after a crash.
Contact us today at (512) 474-0222 for a free consultation.
Our firm has helped numerous clients in Austin, Texas, since its founding. Our Austin personal injury attorneys have decades of combined legal experience fighting for car accident victims. We have recovered over $500 million for the firm’s injured clients.
After you suffer an injury in a preventable car accident, our firm can help you by:
Equipment-related car accidents can result in significant financial losses and physical injuries. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with an Austin car accident attorney to learn about your rights under Texas law to recover compensation for your injury-related losses.
Reach out to McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.
Before 2025, vehicle safety inspections were required for registration. However, this requirement was viewed as costly, time-consuming, and unnecessary. The repeal of the requirement allows owners of non-commercial vehicles to register or renew registrations without a safety inspection, regardless of the age or condition of the vehicles.
However, the repeal does not necessarily leave the state powerless to prevent drivers from operating unsafe vehicles. Texas law prohibits operating a vehicle under any of the following conditions:
Officers may stop vehicles when they have reasonable suspicion that the vehicle violates Texas equipment laws. After stopping the vehicle, the officer can inspect it to determine whether it complies with the state’s equipment laws. If it does not, the officer can issue a citation.
Some counties allow vehicle owners to reduce the penalties for their equipment citations by fixing the problems identified by officers. Travis County calls this process a “compliance dismissal.”
Equipment-related crashes occur when a failure causes or worsens the outcome of a crash. For example, a tire blowout might cause a driver to swerve into an oncoming lane and cause a head-on collision. Likewise, a driver might run a stop sign when their brakes fail.
Failures in the following systems are frequently blamed for equipment-related collisions:
These failures can result from manufacturer defects and poor maintenance. They can also happen when a part breaks, but the vehicle owner does not notice the failure or ignores it.
The liability for crashes caused by unsafe vehicles is typically determined using negligence law. A party is negligent when it fails to act with reasonable care. In other words, a person is liable when they know or should know that their acts or omissions pose an unreasonable risk of injury or death to others.
Additionally, some parties are strictly liable for injuries. Specifically, manufacturers are strictly liable for injuries caused by defective products. Strict liability means that the manufacturer is liable regardless of the care they exercised in preventing or avoiding the injury.
Using these principles, the fault for a crash may fall on the following parties:
If the cause of the crash can be traced to a product defect, the injured person may have a product liability claim. To prove strict liability, the accident victim must prove that the product left the manufacturer with a defect in its design, manufacture, or warning labels.
Vehicle owners and drivers have a responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are reasonably safe. If the owner or driver noticed a vehicle problem but ignored it, they may be liable for the resulting crash. For example, if a driver ignores their car’s spongy brakes, they may be liable when their brakes fail, causing a rear-end collision.
Repair shops must exercise reasonable care in providing their services. If a crash occurs due to carelessness in performing a repair, the garage may be liable. Thus, a garage may be liable if it accidentally fills a driver’s oil system with brake fluid, causing the vehicle to catch fire while on the road.
Texas may no longer require safety inspections for most vehicles, but unsafe cars can still cause serious accidents. When a crash is linked to faulty brakes, worn tires, broken lights, or other mechanical problems, liability may fall on the driver, repair shop, or manufacturer. If you were hurt in an Austin car accident involving an unsafe vehicle, McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers can help you understand your rights and pursue compensation.
Call our Austin car accident attorneys to arrange a free consultation.