Low Standards Blamed for Auto Rollover Crash Injuries
The Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog posted an article involving the minimum vehicle standards that auto makers are made to comply to. The article , by Robert Kreisman,attributes relaxed vehicle standards to the increase of fatalities in rollover auto accidents.
The same standard was in use from 1973 to 2005 and required that the roof of a car had to withstand 1.5 times its own weight, or 5000 pounds, whichever is less. Either way, the roof was so weak that a person inside the vehicle in a rollover crash would have been severely injured or killed.
A proposition was raised in 2005 that the standard be raised from 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight to 2.5 times. The limit on the amount of roof crush was also eliminated from the previous 5 inches. The complete new standard was expected to be completed by Fall 2008, but the NHTSA filed for an extension until December 15, 2008. No rule has been adopted, as of yet. We will keep you posted on any further developments on this important issue.
