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New Roof Crush Tests: Volvo XC90 vs. Ford Explorer

Frank Bailey — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:06:29 GMT

Beginning in 1970, the auto industry fought efforts by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a dynamic roof crush standard that protects occupants in rollover crashes. Why would the auto industry take such a position?

During that time, the number of deaths to occupants in rollover crashes climbed from 1,400 to over 10,000 each year while total occupant fatalities declined from 43,200 to 33,300. What accounts for that amazing increase in deaths from rollover crashes?

Although numerous federal courts have upheld the dolly rollover test as a reliable dynamic test, NHTSA has stuck with the ineffective, quasi-static roof crush standard issued in 1971 even though it initially was to be phased out by 1977.

In other major crash modes, front and side impacts, NHTSA has issued effective dynamic crash test standards that have reduced death and serious injury, but why not roof crush tests?

Public Citizen now has the results of dynamic roof crush tests on the Jordan Rollover System (JRS). The tests were sponsored by the Santo Family Foundation on a Volvo XC90s. State Farm donated the vehicle. This is one time that I applaud State Farm for doing something right.

Ford Motor Company (Stock at $3.11 today) has obtained Protective Orders in 24 courts prohibiting the public from seeing the test. Wonder why? Roof crush tests show Volvo XC90 occupants escape serious injury in multiple rollover crashes while Ford Explorer occupants suffer serious injury.

In a multiple two roll test, the maximum roof intrusion in the XC90 was only 2.6 inches and the peak roof intrusion velocity was less than 4 miles per hour. In contrast, the Explorer had maximum roof intrusion of 11.5 inches and peak roof intrusion velocity of nearly 12 miles per hours. This exceeds known thresh holds for death or serious injury.

Examination of actual accidents from NHTSA shows only one Volvo XC90 in a rollover crash. Like the XC90 in the JRS test, this Volvo had minimal roof intrusion and the two occupants suffered no serious injury. In sharp contrast, the NHTSA files revealed multiple cases of severe roof crush in other vehicles that tested poorly in the JRS.

After 35 years of increasing rollover fatalities due to weak roofs and weak standards, it is time to issue a dynamic roof crush standard using the JRS to match the lifesaving dynamic standards NHTSA has for front and side impacts.

Call or email your representative today and ask that they put aside their love for the auto industry and start putting the safety of their constituents first.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

You Can Help Prevent Unsafe Trucking

Frank Bailey — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:14:03 GMT

website.

Public Citizen and Chair and Founder of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, recently issued the following statement in response to an event by the Agricultural Transprotation Efficiency Coalition.

There is overwhelming scientific evidence showing that overweight trucks are more difficult to control, take longer to stop, are more likely to rollover in crashes and pose a serious safety threat to passenger vehicle occupants. Consequently, it is no surprise that large, heavy trucks are disproportionately responsible for motor vehicle deaths. Although big trucks are only 3 percent of U.S. registered vehicles, they are responsible for 13 percent of annual motor vehicle crash fatalities. When a car has a crash with a big truck, 98 percent of the people who die are in the smaller passenger vehicle.

Not only are American families paying the ultimate price for being forced to share the roads with oversized and overweight trucks, but their safety is also threatened by traveling on over-stressed and seriously compromised roads and bridges. One 80,000 pound tractor-trailer truck does as much damage to roads and bridges as 9,600 cars. Our highways and bridges are already buckling under levels of demand unforeseen by engineers who designed them. Simply put, bigger, heavier trucks are incompatible with the roads and bridges they use. Numerous federal and private sector studies have conclusively and convincingly shown that longer, heavier trucks operate with lower safety margins on both Interstate and lower class roads. Furthermore, heavy trucks do not pay their fair share for highway and bridge deterioration, causing the American public to subsidize the trucking industry’s greed.

The American public is well aware of the innate dangers of oversized trucks and the destruction they cause to our roads, and they do not want them to be even bigger. A recent public opinion poll by Lake Research Partners found that 66 percent oppose changing laws to allow larger trucks carrying heavier loads. More than 80 percent believe that trucks pulling two or three trailers are not as safe as single-trailer trucks. The survey also found that the strong opposition to bigger trucks transcends political party, gender, age, and region.

I urge Congress to listen to the American public and reject this proposal by special interest trucking and shipping industries."

I know in Arkansas we have needless truck crashes every week. I urge each of you who read this to contact your Represantives and tell them to put a stop to unsafe trucking.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Bystander's Claim for Injury

Frank Bailey — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:22:02 GMT

Some states allow a bystander to collect damages for emotional and physical injuries caused by observing a close family member being injured. Attorneys call these claims “bystander claims.” Arkansas has yet to rule on this type of claim, but here at the Bailey and Oliver Law Firm, we always consider this claim when a family member is an occupant of a vehicle and a close family member is seriously injured.

The Supreme Court of Montana has recently held that this type of claim is covered by the striking car’s liability insurance. Other states who have also allowed this type of claim are Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Washington.

If you are in the unfortunate situation of observing a close family member being seriously injured, you should ask your attorney about your bystander claim for emotional and physical injuries.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Traffic Deaths Are Down

Frank Bailey — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:18:11 GMT

Today, the U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters released statistics showing the number of people killed in traffic accidents at an all time low. Early projections show that there has been an almost 10% drop in highway traffic deaths for the first 10 months of this year. I attribute this drop to (1) high gas prices, (2) safer vehicles, and (3) better highways.

Mrs. Peters said, “Our focus on safety…has led to one of the safest periods in our nation’s transportation history. Every American can be more confident than ever they will arrive at their destination safe and sound.”

These figures are way too high. Early estimates still show that approximately 31,110 people died in motor vehicle accidents from January through October 2008. That is unacceptable! Last year 34,502 died during that same 10-month period which is even worse.

The fatality rate per 100 million vehicles miles traveled for the first nine months of 2008 is 1.28, compared to 1.37 for 2007.

“For the second year in a row we are seeing historic lows in deaths on our nation’s roads,” Secretary Peters said. “While we are encouraged by these declines, our work is not nearly complete in making our safe transportation network even safer.”

The final counts for 2008 will be made available in the summer of 2009.

Let’s all try to drive defensively this Holliday season and not be in that final count.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey