Home » Law and Legal Articles » Federal Standards Too Low to Protect Riders in Rollover Car Accidents
Federal Standards Too Low to Protect Riders in Rollover Car Accidents
Federal standards regarding automobile roof crush testing are inadequate to protect car passengers during rollover accidents, especially with SUVs and pickups.
January 27, 2012 /Law and Legal PR News/ -- Federal Standards Too Low to Protect Riders in Rollover Car Accidents
You have probably seen a vehicle that has been in a rollover accident. It is not a pretty sight -- smashed windows, caved-in roofs, crumbled doors and frames -- not to mention the injured people and pets. Although rollovers account for only about 3 percent of all vehicle crashes, rollovers cause over a third of all motor-vehicle accident deaths.
A majority of these fatalities happen because the occupant is ejected from the vehicle as it rolls or because he or she failed to wear a seatbelt. Although it is difficult to force people to wear their seatbelts, ejections occur less often if the car's roof structure is strong enough to keep the windows from breaking and the doors from opening, helping to prevent the occupant from being ejected in a crash.
National insurance-company studies show that rollovers are much more common with SUVs and pickups than with cars because of their higher center of balance -- they sit up higher off the ground. SUVs and pickups also tend to be driven more often on rural roads where rollovers more frequently occur.
Federal motor safety standards have improved over the past few years, but many wonder if the standards are high enough. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently requires that roofs on new vehicles weighing 6,000 pounds or less must withstand pressure equal to three times their weight. Unfortunately, vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds -- most SUVs and pickups -- are only required to withstand pressure of 1.5 times their unloaded weight.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety annually chooses the year's Top Safety Picks, using safety tests for front, side, rear and rollover crashes to determine which vehicles earn the awards. The IIHS developed a standardized test for rollovers measuring each car's ability to hold its shape where the car occupants sit. The test presses a metal plate against one side of the car roof and applies pressure, based on the weight of the vehicle, until the roof crushes to a depth of five inches into the passenger compartment. Ratings are established by this "strength-to-weight ratio" as follows:
-Good: The roof can withstand at least four times the vehicle weight before crushing to a depth of five inches
-Acceptable: 3.25 times the vehicle weight
-Marginal: 2.5 times the vehicle weight
-Poor: anything less than 2.5 times the vehicle weight
Comparing the safety-rating standards established by the IIHS with the federal standards reveals a huge difference in safety requirements, particularly for vehicles more prone to rollovers. Next year's SUVs may only be required to have roof structures that support 1.5 times their weight, garnering a very "poor" rating from the IIHS.
If you or a loved one sustains injuries in a rollover accident in Texas or anywhere else in the nation, it may be due to a deficient roof structure in the vehicle. Consult with an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney to see whether you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Article provided by Miller Weisbrod, L.L.P.
Visit us at www.therolloverlaw.com/
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