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Critics Say Proposed Roof Strength Standard Doesn't Go Far Enough

Nearly 25% of Traffic Deaths Occur in Rollovers

August 20, 2005
Critics say the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) didn't go far enough with its proposal to toughen its roof crush standards. "NHTSA is merely rolling over when people need its help the most," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook.

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Safety advocates have repeatedly pressured NHTSA to toughen the roof strength standard to reduce deaths and injuries in rollover crashes. They also argue for testing standards that more closely reflect events that occur during an actual rollover.

The proposed new government standard would extend roof strength requirements to all vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds, thus covering SUVs and other light trucks for the first time. The current standard only applies to vehicles up to 6,000 pounds.

Critics immediately said the rule, under consideration since 1991, does not require enough testing and roof strengthening to prevent injuries and fatalities. Public Citizen's Claybrook, a former administrator of NHTSA, called the proposed rules "very insufficient" and said they don't do nearly enough to protect drivers and passengers.

"It's really not going to protect people as they could and should," she said.

"The long-delayed roof crush rule proposed today by NHTSA fails to comply with new safety mandates issued by Congress just last month. The highway funding bill requires roof strength be tested both on the driver and passenger sides of a vehicle. However, the proposed rule tests roof strength only on one side," she said.

NHTSA is seeking comment on other aspects of its rollover protection strategy, including the possible use of improved safety belt technology to better hold a belted occupant in place during a rollover.

The proposed new standard would require that a roof withstand an applied force equal to 2.5 times the vehicle weight while maintaining sufficient headroom for an average-sized adult male. The current requirement is that the roof be able to withstand an applied force equal to 1.5 times the vehicle weight, with a limit of 5,000 pounds for cars.

"It will take a comprehensive strategy to reduce the staggering number of rollover deaths on the nation’s highways", said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "Improving roof strength is an integral part of that plan."

Defending the proposal was Adrian K. Lund, chief operating officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who said regulators had done a good job in crafting a rule.

The agency estimates that, among belted occupants, about 807 serious injuries and 596 fatalities annually are caused by contact with a collapsed roof during a rollover crash. About 10,000 people die annually in rollover crashes; approximately 60 percent are unbelted.

NHTSA estimates the new roof crush standard will annually prevent between 13 and 44 deaths and 500-800 injuries when fully implemented. The estimated cost per vehicle would be $11.81. The total average cost per year would be $88-$95 million.

Almost 25 percent of all U.S. traffic deaths occur in rollover crashes. There were more than 42,000 people killed on U.S. roads in 2004.

The auto safety agency will decide on a final regulation after a 90-day comment period.

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