NHTSA PROPOSES RESISTANCE
RATE ROLLOVER TEST FOR CARS, PICKUPS and SUVs
Dynamic Rollover Tests were Mandated
After Congressional Hearings on the Ford Explorer Rollover-Firestone Tire
Debacle.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2002 (UPI) -- The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed two road tests
to help rate the rollover resistance of various models of cars, pickups
and sport-utility vehicles.Rollover accidents are blamed for 10,000 deaths and 27,000
serious injuries annually in the United States. Rollovers surfaced as
a major concern for motorists after the headline-grabbing 2000 recall
of 6.5 million Firestone tires that were mostly original equipment on
Ford Explorer SUVs.Rollovers account for just 4 percent of accidents but
are responsible for a quarter of the 40,000 traffic deaths on the nation's
highways. Seventy-eight percent of people killed in single vehicle rollovers
were not wearing seat belts and 53 percent were thrown from the vehicle.The two dynamic tests proposed by government engineers
-- both actual road maneuvers -- were published by NHTSA Tuesday. Previously
the federal auto safety agency rated rollover resistance using one to
five stars based on a statistical model -- a mathematical formula using
the variables of a vehicle's track, the width between tires; and its height
and center of gravity to determine stability in a crash. No vehicles were
road tested to determine their propensity to roll over.In the future, two actual road tests will be used along
with the current Static Stability Factor. In the "j-turn" test
a computer-steered vehicle abruptly turns left or right at 60 mph. The
"fishhook" maneuver involves making a left turn followed by
a sharp right turn at speeds up to 50 mph.Each test will be conducted twice with a single crash-test
dummy and then with dummies or instruments in front and rear seating positions.Rollover ratings will depend on whether the wheels leave
the pavement during the tests.Dynamic tests were mandated by the Transportation Recall,
Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act passed in November 2000
after congressional hearings on the Ford Explorer-Firestone tire debacle.
Consumer advocates long had sought road tests to help
consumers find safer vehicles but automakers say such tests do not consider
the roles driver behavior, road conditions or improved safety devices
play in accidents.
Copyright © 2002 United
Press International
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