Legal News You Can Use » NHTSA

Are rollovers more common for SUVs than for other vehicles?

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:12:10 +0000

Rollovers are much more common for SUVs and pickups than for cars, and more common for SUVs than for pickups. In 2009, 56 percent of SUV occupants killed in crashes were in vehicles that rolled over. In comparison, 47 percent of deaths in pickups and 25 percent of deaths in cars were in rollovers.
Pickups and SUVs tend to be involved in rollovers more frequently than cars largely due to the physical differences of these vehicles. Light trucks are taller than cars and have greater ground clearance, causing their mass to be distributed higher off the road relative to the width of the vehicle. Additional passengers and cargo can increase the center of gravity even more. Other things being equal, a vehicle with a higher center of gravity is more prone to roll over than a lower riding vehicle.
Driver behavior may contribute to the increased rollover involvement rate of SUVs and pickups. Pickups and SUVs are more likely than cars to be driven on rural roads, where rollovers occur more frequently. Lower belt use among pickup occupants means they are more likely to be seriously or fatally injured when rollovers occur.

Chrysler-Fiat Trimming the Debt, and Liability

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:19:16 +0000

With the new alliance between Chrysler and Fiat settled this week, The Washington Post has been reporting on the effect this will have in Detroit, and the rest of the country.Conspicuously absent from their commentary is the consumers who have or will be injured by Chrysler vehicles sold before the company filed for bankruptcy. The situation is very grim.

Even the union leaders who are upset that factories in the USA will be closed while Mexican ones won’t are somewhat tempered in their complaints. They know that this situation is the lesser evil. 789 dealerships are slated to close and in the shuffle many Americans may have their rights slip between the cracks.

The AAJ and other consumer advocacy groups have tried to alter the deal so that the little guy doesn’t get left behind, but the chances are slim that anything will come of it. General Motors is about to go through a similar process later this summer. Hopefully a more inclusive deal will be reached, or else Americans may lose whatever brand loyalty they once held towards the US auto industry.

New Roof Crush Standards

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:04:23 +0000

The Obama administration announced new rood crush rules. Auto makers will have to double the crush-resistance of passenger-vehicle roofs , but critics said the new standard was too weak to prevent many rollover deaths.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled the new rules, which dictate that roofs must be able to withstand a force equal to three times the weight of the vehicle for cars and light trucks weighing 6,000 pounds or less. Vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds must have a roof-crush resistance equal to 1.5 times their weight, the first time many trucks and heavy sport-utility vehicles will be subject to such a requirement. The rules will be phased in over five years, starting in 2012.

“Rollovers are the deadliest crashes on our highways and today’s rule will help occupants survive these horrific events,” Mr. LaHood said in a statement.

Proposed rules for Motorcycle Helmet Makers could Limit Liability

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:28:37 +0000

In a report on motorcycle helmet effectiveness, NHTSA acknowledged that technological changes over the years have led to improvements in helmet design and materials that have saved thousands of lives in motorcycle accidents.

Yet, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) proposed rule on motorcycle helmets gives corporations a “get out of jail free” pass, according to comments submitted to the agency today by the American Association for Justice (AAJ).

While NHTSA’s proposed rule significantly increases the safety requirements of motorcycle helmets, it also includes language that could keep consumers from holding manufacturers accountable for helmets that meet NHTSA’s minimum safety standard.

“Clearly technology made a difference in thousands of motorcycle riders’ lives, however, if NHTSA’s proposed rule continues with the preemption language, manufacturers of helmets have little incentive to continue to make helmets safer for consumers,” says AAJ President Les Weisbrod. “The civil justice system provides an added incentive that NHTSA’s helmet proposal erodes.”

The motorcycle helmet rule is just one of 21 proposed rules from the Bush administration that AAJ is monitoring that include preemption language. For a list of the rules AAJ is watching to be made final in the last weeks of the Bush administration, see http://www.justice.org/Regulatory_rules_not_finalized.pdf .
View a copy of the comments AAJ submitted on motorcycle helmets here.

NHTSA’s Seatbelt Rule Blocks Consumer Rights

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:14:46 +0000

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the nation’s agency for monitoring motor vehicle and highway safety. NHTSA is responsible for recalling defective products in the automobile industry, but lately decision making seems to favor the manufacturers and not the consumers.

The NHTSA is at it again with another proposal that seeks to protect Auto manufacturers from being held responsible for their products. On October 8th, the NHTSA released a final rule on seatbelt safety and designated seating positions. The language used by the NHTSA essentially prohibits consumers involved in automobile accidents from legally claiming they were unable to wear a seatbelt due to lack of a sufficient number of seatbelts or their placement in the vehicle.

The President of the American Association for Justice, Les Weisbrod states that “NHTSA has taken every opportunity to eliminate citizens’ basic right to hold vehicle manufacturers accountable when they have made a defective product,” and that “We have seen this time and again from NHTSA; they put manufacturer costs and profits ahead of consumer protections. This time, NHTSA’s seatbelt rule straps consumers of their basic civil right—the right to a justice system.”

Roof Crush Standard Slow in Coming

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:21:48 +0000

The NHTSA (The National Highway and Traffic SAfety Administration) 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.

School Bus Safety Requirements Not Enough

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:16:51 +0000

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new rule on school bus safety is “hypocritical.”

Seat and shoulder belts will be required on small school buses. The requirement will also change seat backs making them four inches higher in all new buses.Seats must also come equipped with safety latches that can be flipped up or removed without resorting to special tools. That’s the good news.

But large school buses have another set of requirements. NHTSA will not require seat belts in the kind of large school buses that most children ride in, despite research that shows it would prevent about 1,900 injuries a year. Instead NHTSA set standards for the seat belts, should states decide to order them.

Manufacturers are granted blanket immunity from civil justice should any injuries arise, according to the American Association for Justice (AAJ).

The same day this rule was released, AAJ released a report detailing how the Bush administration engaged in a campaign to include preemption language in over 60 proposed and final regulatory rules in seven federal agencies, including NHTSA. To see a full copy of the report visit http://www.justice.org/getoutofjailfree.