Shanin Specter: Automaker agrees to equip all vehicles with rear seatbelts

Shanin Specter’s lawsuit against an automaker for not equipping all of its vehicles with rear passenger seat belts resulted in the company agreeing to never again sell a vehicle of any kind without belts for all seats. The genesis of the case was a trip to Africa by Specter, his wife, Tracey, and several friends. Driving over a mountain pass, one of three sport utility vehicles in their convoy went off the road and down a steep embankment. The vehicle rolled over several times and the wife of a dear Specter friend was ejected and killed. Specter sued the automaker for not equipping all of its vehicles with rear passenger seat belts, including SUVs shipped to Africa to be assembled from kits. Monetary terms of the eventual settlement and the automaker’s name were confidential.