Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety
Bush administration needs more time for new roof strength rule
If you've been following the ongoing roof strength regulation saga, this will likely come as no surprise. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has again asked for an extension to rewrite the government's vehicle roof strength rule. We've been reporting on this for more than three years, and the delays never seem to end (of course, we can assume the big cheese in Washington have more pressing issues on their plates these days). Rewriting the legislation set back in the 1970s isn't as simple as specifying stronger roof pillars. Beefing up the roof will add weight – potentially making a vehicle more top heavy and likely increasing the possibility of a rollover. The new rules will need to address these concerns, and take into account new safety technologies (curtain airbags, stability control, etc...) that are on our current-generation models. While each previous request for an extension included new deadline dates, this latest appeal didn't. A wise move considering the administration's track record on this issue.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TJ 9:34AM (10/03/2008)
deluge of partisan anti-bush comments in 3....2....
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TJ 9:43AM (10/03/2008)
"In June 1994, as a response to the ISTEA legislation, Bill Clinton's secretary of transportation, Federico Pena, held a press conference to announce the department's decision on rollover regulation. NHTSA would not issue a rollover standard. "We rejected what seemed to be an appealing solution -- a strict stability standard -- but what actually proved to be an enormously expensive and largely ineffective answer to a very complicated problem," the secretary said.
In place of a rollover standard, Pena touted a new tactic: consumer information. Pena's plan was to place a "safety sticker" with rollover ratings on all new cars and light trucks sold in the United States. "The Safety Sticker ... will, for the first time, give consumers better and more complete information about the safety of cars and light trucks at the time and place where consumers tell us that such information is most useful: on the car, in the dealership, at the point of purchase," Pena said."
"... There are people now who are clamoring, saying -- in fact, there's a law out right now which says NHTSA has something like two years to develop a dynamic rollover standard. They've been trying to develop a dynamic rollover standard for 25 years. ... We have not been able to find out a way to do this. So do we develop some half-baked standard, like the airbag, which was too early, and kill more people just because the advocates are out there screaming? Or do we simply say, "Time out, folks. When we get it right, we will field it. We're not going to play games with the American public just to make you happy and to advance your agenda."
But yep, lets please keep blaming Bush. God this crap is getting old.
Bungle 9:50AM (10/03/2008)
I'll start: George W. Bush is a piece of s---.
Who cares if he had anything to do with roof standards... there are a million other reasons.
TJ 9:51AM (10/03/2008)
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/18/business/fi-22845
Maybe try this link for some more info as well.
Blame Bush for all of this too?
bill 9:54AM (10/03/2008)
I like President Bush. He is an honorable man, which leads me to question why anyone with honor would want to be President. As for roll-over regulations, just make rolling over illegal unless you are an elected official and it means money in your pocket.
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Jeff 10:06AM (10/03/2008)
Never fear. President Obama is going to fix everything. He's going to stop global warming, he's going to fix the health care problem, in fact, under President Obama, we'll never get sick so there's no need for health care. Under President Obama, everyone is going to have a high paying job. Heck, he's going to outlaw the middle class and we'll all be rich under his administration.
On the other hand, that evil Bush and his Republican cohorts want to eat babies, kick puppies, and throw kittens in the river to drown.
Give me a break. They're all the same pieces of sh*t and they're all cut from the same lying, greedy, power hungry piece of cloth. ALL OF THEM. Not just Dems or Republicans, ALL OF THEM are lying bast**ds. I'd rather trust a car salesman and I don't trust them any farther than I can throw one.
The government keeps wanting more safety things on cars that increase weight while at the same time wanting better gas mileage. There has to be somewhere to meet in the middle.
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TJ 10:17AM (10/03/2008)
I believe the exact quote you are looking for is:
“I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”
Chris 2:31PM (10/03/2008)
Your absolutley correct!!! Thanks for the comment, I couldn't agree more!
David 10:46AM (10/03/2008)
Carbon nanotubes!
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ASEVENSEE4 11:03AM (10/03/2008)
I'll just choose to buy cars that I know have excellent roof strength. GM's and Chryslers are not one of them.. the S40 I rolled repeatedly still had most of it's original shape and the pillars never really gave. LOVE Volvo..
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akboss 1:01PM (10/03/2008)
Well, that's one approach. I just choose not to roll my vehicles, but whatever works. S40 is undeniably a great car - prefer the C30 though.
JN 12:03PM (10/03/2008)
You know, Studebaker integrated a roll bar into the design of the Avanti sport coupe all the way back in 1962. It was mounted to the chassis and was part of the B-pillar, then arched across the roof between the front and rear seats.
Some thought it was a gimmick, but gimmick or not, it worked. I've seen some vintage rollover photos of Avantis, and they held up pretty darn well considering that the body of the car was made of thin-section fiberglass.
If that sort of thing worked 46 years ago, why can't it be done today? I know it wouldn't add a whole lot of weight, because it didn't on the Avanti.
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Neil Schelly 12:08PM (10/03/2008)
The solution is rather easy. The Bush Administration should not be deciding how to go about doing rollover protection (side-curtains, pillar strength/materials/etc). They should be mandating the safety itself. Something like:
During rollover, vehicle structure should be able to support x lbs of weight in addition to the weight of the vehicle on any one pillar. Any deformation of the pillars or roof under this weight should not intrude into passenger space more than y inches or be within z inches of a typically size 95% male occupant. And finally, the car should be able to complete a 70' slalom with 5' offsets at some particular speed.
Let the manufacturers figure out how to accomplish the goal. No one in politics should be writing the how or be concerned with the technology involved or necessary.
-N
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s13hybrid 1:07PM (10/03/2008)
Here is a solution, lets just wear Helmets and have roll cages in all cars. Better handling, much safer, no need for airbags (just bar pads), looks cool (haha). You may be able to turn quicker so there is less need for exceleration (better gas mileage). This will keep a lot of "so comfy I am not paying attention to what I am doing" drivers off the road, so more increased safety.
I don't know, this sounds like a win win solution.
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maor 1:46PM (10/03/2008)
Bush administration needs more time or the lobbyists lining his administration's pockets? Hmm?
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Mark 11:01PM (10/03/2008)
Someone just delete this entry and subsequent comments.
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f1tifoso 1:14AM (10/04/2008)
All they have to do is look at the european standard.
Been there forever, that's why Saabs and the pictured model are so safe...
It's really quite simple, they're just dodging the issue because automakers in the US pay them to do so.
I don't blame Bush for this because Clinton could have just as easily enacted the same legislation - it all goes back to US automakers - they get fat on money and dump the business -
and in reward we bail them out...
Sounds like a SCAM to me
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CarbonBlack 2:46AM (10/04/2008)
What happens when a vehicle rolls and the "Jaws of Life" can't get through the roof as easily?
Its all about trade offs!
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