Why Anton Yelchin’s Death Serves as a Wake-Up Call for the Auto Industry

A few weeks ago, actor Anton Yelchin, a rising star best known for his appearances in recent Star Trek movies, was found pinned between his car and a fence after it rolled backward down his driveway and directly toward him.

This is no doubt a devastating and tragic event, piercing the hearts of family members, Hollywood and fans across the country. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this incident, however, is the fact that preventable accidents like this — ones where an unknown defective auto part is at fault — are all too common.

Between 2014 and 2015, automakers recalled a record number of vehicles. According to a 2016 CARFAX study, “over 54 million cars on the road today have an open safety recall” a steady climb when compared to previous years.

Yelchin’s case was no different — his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee was recalled after federal regulators discovered a gear shifting problem that caused drivers to “inadvertently fail to achieve the park position before exiting,” according to an official notice from Fiat Chrysler that went out in May. At least 41 injuries have already been linked to this gear shifting issue, and unfortunately, Yelchin appears to be just the latest victim in a growing list.

With so many open recalls, alerting drivers about serious hazards in their own vehicles before disaster strikes seems like a no brainer to avoid tragedies like this. But unfortunately, it’s not.

As it currently stands, federal law only requires manufacturers to send consumers recall notifications through the mail — yes, the mail. But, as we all know, communicating with vehicle owners this way in the digital age is both inefficient and ineffective — addresses change and titles transfer all the time. And that’s only one small piece of the problem.

According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 70 percent of recalled vehicles ever get the repairs they need, meaning drivers fail to bring their car into the appropriate certified dealership for proper replacement parts and service.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that manufacturers and the government alike have known about the deficiencies in the recall alert process for quite some time, yet the status quo remains. People suffer injuries through a defect in their vehicle; families and communities mourn; and car manufacturers respond by issuing a recall and putting a replacement part on the market.

The problem is that by the time we hear about these recalls, it’s usually too late. A tragic accident, injury or death, has occurred and a new public pressure campaign mounts to call for better recall response.

But it’s time to break the cycle. Manufacturers must find a way to provide better transparency to consumers, and consumers deserve better answers.

That’s why we need a more efficient system that alerts consumers of problems the minute they occur and encourages them to take appropriate action. In 2016, manufacturers should be reaching consumers on their mobile devices, not in their mailboxes. This will help manufacturers and dealerships alike verify that affected drivers have received recalls and easily track and remind those drivers that their vehicle needs immediate attention.

Accidents like Yelchin’s don’t ever need to happen. Drivers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to find out if their car is the subject of a recall and if they need to get to a dealership.

Frankly, the industry can do better. A lot better. Let’s let Yelchin’s horrific tragedy serve as a wakeup call for the industry. It’s time to rise to the occasion and change methods for delivering key information. It could literally save lives.

Michael Lucas is the chairman of i3 Brands, the leading provider of data and analytics that connect the manufacturer to the customer journey. Using data, analytics and leveraging IoT, Michael has developed a patented traceability solution to help companies improve end-to-end visibility of large scale supply chains and tackle potential product disruptions and recalls in real time.