The United States Government tacitly acknowledged through the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 that it is possible that many individuals behind bars for vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide were in fact innocent because the true cause of the accident was the motor vehicle's inherent defects.

Minnesota Public Radio recently told the story of Koua Fong Lee, one such individual who was convicted in 2006 of vehicular homicide and spent 3 years in prison for killing 3 people when his 1996 Toyota Camry hit 3 cars all stopped at a red light. Judge Joanne Smith, after hearing the testimonies of other 1996 Toyota Camry owners who had experienced similar accidents when they attempted to brake but had the car accelerated instead, granted Lee another trial. His claim had always been that he had tried to brake for the red light when his car sped up and collided with the 3 other cars.

Injustices aside, the injuries and deaths caused by automobile accidents are common and the public outrage caused by the reports of collisions caused by acceleration defects along with the discovery that the Toyota Corporation avoiding recalling, repairing or announcing their dangers petal defects has prompted legislative action to police and punish motor vehicle manufacturers for negligent behavior and defective products.

U.S.DOT secretary Ray LaHood announced Toyota's agreement to pay the largest civil penalty of any auto manufacturer in United States history, assessed and determined by the NHTSA at $16.375 million. As large of this penalty seems it was hindered by the statutory cap of the same sum and it averages out to slightly more than $2 per Toyota vehicle sold in 2009. Without the cap Toyota may have been fined a total of $13.8 billion, a much more punitive sum that may have been more likely to prevent such mishaps in the future.

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 is the combination of 2 bills created by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee. The total bill proposes requirements to strengthen vehicle safety and electronic standards by making brake over-ride systems, standard stopping distances and safety-designated pedal placements mandatory as well as regulating the performance of car's ignition systems through vehicle event data recorders, accelerator control systems and transmission configurations. It was designed to make vehicle safety information more accessible to the general public and to increase the responsibilities of automotive manufacturers for incomplete or misleading disclosures about faulty products. It raises the statutory capital and fines from $16.375 million $300 million and bestows more authority on the NHTSA while provides them more funding to function administratively.

There is significant resistance to the 2 bills making up the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 but either way automobile manufacturers remain legally responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by defective automobiles. Anyone involved in an accident that many have been caused by automobile defects should contact an experienced personal injury lawyer about their rights and any actions they may take.