Many consumer class actions involve automobiles and other motor vehicles. These class actions tend to fall into one of two groups: class actions against automobile manufacturers claiming that a vehicle is defective, and class actions against insurance companies claiming that the company didn't comply with the terms of an auto insurance policy.

Class actions against automobile manufacturers seeking compensation for a defective vehicle may involve a claimed defect that causes the vehicle to be unsafe, such as can be the case with defective tires, seats, or seatbelts, for instance. In other cases, the alleged defect causes economic loss by reducing the value of the vehicle or requiring a repair.

In any case, driving can be dangerous. Every year there are some 12 million motor vehicles accidents in the United States, killing 42,000 Americans in 37,000 fatal crashes. A death is caused by a motor vehicle crash every 12 minutes; there is a disabling injury every 14 seconds. In fact, transportation accidents are the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States, and motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people between 6 and 27 years of age.

In the most recent year, 41% of traffic accident fatalities were vehicle occupants killed in single-vehicle crashes and 38% of fatalities occurred as a result of two-vehicle crashes. The other deaths were in crashes involving three or more vehicles (7%), pedestrian deaths (12%), and bicyclist deaths (2%).

Motor vehicle crashes also exact a huge economic toll. They cost society $4,800 per second, or $150 billion a year. Medical costs are responsible for $17 billion, property losses for $52.1 billion, lost productivity accounts for $54.7 billion, and other costs are $26.6 billion.

The most dangerous state, based on the number of deaths per mile travelled, is Mississippi, followed by South Carolina and Wyoming tied for second, with Arizona, Louisiana and Montana in the next group.

On the other hand, the safest state is Massachusetts, followed, in order, by Connecticut and then New Jersey and Rhode Island tied for third.

Currently 38 percent of highway fatalities are related to alcohol. Speeding is a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes.

Scroll through the class actions listed in the Automotive section of ClassActionAmerica and see which class actions you qualify for.