Federal roof crush rule has been delayed

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it will delay issuing a new roof crush rule until October 1, due to a number of new comments received and additional analysis required. The agency, which has not updated its rollover safety standards in over 35 years, was originally scheduled to send a new roof crush rule to Congress by July 1. The proposed revision would mandate a roof to be required to support 2.5 times the vehicle's weight, up from the current standard of 1.5 times the car's weight. The delay is said to be due to ongoing complaints from consumer advocates and members of Congress, who contend that the proposal is not strong enough. Critics assert that most new cars already conform to a 2.5 standard and that the standard should be raised even higher, to 3.5. A study released earlier this year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the stronger the roof, the lower the risk of injury to occupants of a vehicle.