Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) (7203.T) having to recall more than 8.5 million vehicles and facing a potential liability estimated by some lawyers at more than $10 billion as it struggles to contain an car safety crisis that has tarnished its once-sterling public image and badly dented its sales. What Toyota needs now is to adopt good old American innovation and win back the confidence of the US consumer.
A simple suggestion to senior management of Toyota, come walk the floor of some American trade shows. Case in point, while I was at the product premier held by the Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX) in Pittsburg, I saw a $25 product called “The Guardian” www.buyheadsup.com. Manufactured by Heads Up! Safety, Inc., it won five awards for Car Safety from the international panel of judges — the Award for Excellence in Commercialization, a Gold medal in the Car Safety and Security Industrial category, a Silver medal in the Personal Car Safety category for Safety and Security, and another Silver medal in the Novelty and Specialty Gifts category for their car safety product called “The Guardian” . INPEX is considered one of the largest annual showcases for new invention in the U.S.
“The Guardian,” is a portable car safety device that addresses the car safety of motorists who have to pull their cars over to the side of the road, especially at night or in bad weather conditions. The car safety kit consists of a brightly colored orange hazard flag that is attached to a telescoping pole which has a mounting bracket with suction cups so it is simple to stick onto the window of your vehicle. There is also an advanced car safety version being developed which will include a strobe light and a GPS distress beacon as well as a bigger model called “The Sentinel ” which will be specifically applicable for large fleet vehicles.
With legal experts estimating that class action damages to exceed 10 billion dollars, I have a suggestion for the senior management of Toyota. Why don’t you put a courtesy “Guardian” in every one of the cars you fix via the recall? The American public is forgiving and this is your best chance to mitigate your risk exposure by creating some desperately needed good will.
Heads Up! Car Safety, Inc. works with official sources in the transportation safety industry to assure that their products meet all the standard OSHA safety requirements so their customers can be assured they are purchasing a top quality innovative vehicle safety product. The idea of The Guardian and the related products is to alert drivers of roadside hazards such as stalled vehicles which can be obscured from their line of sight or hard to see in bad conditions. For further information on Heads Up! Car Safety, Inc. and information on how to order The Guardian today, call their offices at 1-877-397-7233 or check out their website at www.buyheadsup.com.