The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require automakers to comply with tougher roof crush standards for passenger cars and most light trucks. This is good news for consumers and safety advocates who have been pressing for better standards for years. The Obama administration has vowed to put a priority on improving consumer safety in the products we purchase. This NHTSA action is a step in that direction. However, the new standards only apply to vehicles weighing up to 6000 pounds which excludes many heavier vehicles like full-size pickups and SUVs. For the first time, those heavier vehicles also have a standard for roof strength, but less stringent than the smaller weight vehicles.
According to the NHTSA, there are over 10,000 deaths each year in rollover car crashes. Most of the deaths result from riders being thrown from the vehicle but a significant number of deaths result from roof crush. These new standards will likely save lives and prevent catastrophic injuries. Automakers must begin phasing in the new roofs in September 2012. The stronger roof designs is expected to only cost about $54 per vehicle…a small price to pay to save lives and injuries in rollover car crashes.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
