The NHTSA is proposing tougher standards for roof strength that apply to a greater range of vehicles. Currently, manufacturers must provide roofs that can withstand 1.5 times their own weight, however the NHTSA is proposing to increase this to 2.5 times. Also, current legislation only covers vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds, but the NHTSA's plan will see vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds also covered under the regulation.
The new legislation is expected to be implemented by 2012 and this will likely have car makers scrambling to try and comply with the proposed requirements, reports The Detroit News. Ford argued that the new requirements will force manufacturers, already struggling to meet new CAFE emissions regulations, to increase the weight of vehicles.
Meanwhile, safety advocates, including Presidential candidate Ralph Nader, argue that the standard should be set even higher, lobbying for a 3 or 3.5 times standard to be put in place. The NHTSA revealed that asking manufacturers to produce roofs capable of supporting three times their weight would cost an additional $1.1 billion over increasing the standard by just 2.5 times.
Roughly 11,000 people die on American roads from rollovers each year (about 24,000 suffer permanently disabling accidents), which accounts for 25% of all fatalities even though it constitutes just 5% of all accidents.
Reader Comments
Tue May 27 2008 7:46 AM
chris says
for anyone who doesnt understand why u would need a roof that can support 1.5x (or more) of the weight of the vehicle, understand that when you've got 5 passengers in a small car, you've greatly increased the weight of the vehicle, and you're strapped into the bottom of the car. all of that weight goes into the pillars.
plus weight is another measure of force and with the high G counts in accidents (yes, even on a roof.. just imagine a roll over accident where the vehicle gets a little airborne before smashing down on the roof), you start to exceed 1.5x very quickly. if you take a look at the GVWR for a car and compare it to the curb weight (the difference would be the allowable total weight for passengers), you can see that some times it's already 1.5x.
Tue May 27 2008 9:18 AM
burke says
Yep! Collision forces are brutally strong. I guess roll-over bars are not part of the solution. Perhaps they will conflict with aesthetic demands...? Any way, Are they considering the extra weight that reinforced roofs will add to the car?
Tue May 27 2008 10:56 AM
Gus says
Someone told me that the tubular rollbar in my Mustang convertible can take up to 4x the wieght of the car, but why is that? It seems like there's less metal there than in a normal roof. Maybe it's because it's just a circular steel tube, and not this pressed sheetmetal, I don't know. Anyway, why not put a steel tube inside the roofs of todays cars? Too difficult to mass produce, maybe, or too top heavy.
I'm still amazed at what some people walk away from or at least survive without serious injury. Look at that Aston Martin they crashed into a lake with the new Bond movie, it looks like there's no room left for a head.
Tue May 27 2008 12:53 PM
burke says
Gus, you brought a good point. Stronger roofs will more likely be heavier, and this would necessarily bring up the center of gravity of the car. Has anybody considered the stability of the new cars when making turns and or taking curves?...
Tue May 27 2008 1:01 PM
Gus says
Unless it's carbon fiber?
I mean, the only really strong part needs to be a loop right behind the driver's heads, or B pillars at least. If the A-pillars cave in a line to the loop behind the driver's heads, there's still a much better chance of survival.
Wed Oct 8 2008 12:01 PM
Martito says
...and you still don't need a motorcycle helmet in many states. smart huh...?!
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