The NHTSA (The National Highway and Traffic SAfety Administration)Â is the nation’s agency for monitoring motor vehicle and highway safety. Just how the FDA is soley responsible for keeping consumers safe from the dangerous pharmaceuticals that are in circulation, the NHTSA is responsible for setting the safety standards that auto manufacturers must follow and for recalling defective products in the automobile industry.
According to the watchdog group Public Citizen, every year more than 10.000 people die in rollowver crashes. We have seen a decline in the quality of service with agencies like the FDA and NHTSA. Despite numberous requests from different safety organizations and congress over the last 20 years, they still have not established a roof crush standard.
In the case of the NHTSA, Congress required them to propose a new roof crush standard by July 1, 2008. Since then, they have recieved two extensions on time and are asking for a third. The current roof crush resistance standard has been in effect since 1973, long before the time of SUV’s.
The NHTSA has had three years to develop a new roof-crush resistance standard, but has yet to follow through, choosing instead to defend weak proposals already met by the majority of auto makers.
Consumers deserve a better standard, and Auto manufacturers need to be held responsible when their products aren’t safe.