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.
One of the regulations that the American Associaion for Justice (AAJ) is watching carefully during these final hours of the Bush Administration is the federal roof crush safety standard.
A roof crush standard has been pending for three years and has not been strengthened since 1973, before SUVs were a popular transportation option. Each year 10,000 people are killed and roughly 24,000 are injured in vehicle rollover crashes. The NHTSA estimates their proposed standard would save between 13 and 44 lives per year, an increase less of than one percent of the 10,000 deaths associated with vehicle rollovers.
Although the agency had proposed a standard the AAJ does not feel it is acceptable. The proposed standard increased the ability of a roof to withstand a force equal to 2.5 times the unloaded vehicle’s weight. But this standard would still result in killing or paralyzing most passengers in rollover accidents. The proposed final rule also included language (PREEMPTION) that would have given auto manufacturers complete immunity from all lawsuits, leaving them little incentive to make automobiles safer.
To see a copy of the report AAJ released on federal regulations with preemption language included in the proposed or final rule, see http://www.justice.org/Preemption_Rpt.pdf.
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.
