U.S. DOT Doubles Roof Strength Standard for Light Vehicles, But Stills Falls Short According to Some

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new roof standards that will strengthen vehicle roof structures and improve rollover crash protection. The new regulation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will double the current roof strength requirement for light vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds. The current standard calls for roofs to withstand 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle, applied to one side of the roof, for light vehicles up to 6,000 pounds. Heavier vehicles from 6,000 to 10,000 pounds, which have never been regulated, must now have both sides of the roof capable of withstanding a force equal to 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle.

But a policy analyst from Public Citizen says, "We are extremely disappointed with NHTSA's attempt to update its 38-year-old roof crush standard - revisions that have been pending since 2002. The rule released today falls far short of mandating vehicle improvements that will significantly reduce the 10,500 annual fatalities from rollover crashes."

The new rule also specifies that both the driver and passenger sides of the roof must be capable of withstanding a force equal to three times the weight of the vehicle. While NHTSA's new rule does require that both sides of a vehicle's roof be tested, it continues to rely on a static test, the same kind that has been used since the rule was first written in 1971. Public Citizen and other safety experts advocate for a dynamic test that puts vehicles under "real-world" rollover conditions. The phase-in schedule, which begins in September 2012, will be completed for all affected vehicles by the 2017 model year.