Friday, April 29, 2005

Government vehicle crash test needs SUV upgrade

Congress-requested report says rollovers and accidents with cars need to be evaluated.

By Ken Thomas / Associated Press

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WASHINGTON -- The government's crash test program for vehicles needs an upgrade to remain relevant as automobiles and safety risks change, congressional investigators say.

The usefulness of the crash test program -- which includes a star-rating system -- has diminished with the growing popularity of SUVs and other light trucks, creating different safety risks not fully addressed by the tests, a new Government Accountability Office report found.

"The program is at a crossroads where it will need to change to maintain its relevance," according to the report, which Congress requested.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests vehicles and rates them on a scale of one to five stars -- five stars is the highest score -- to help consumers judge an automobile's crashworthiness and likelihood of rolling over.

NHTSA conducts a frontal-impact test at 35 mph, measuring the equivalent of two identical vehicles striking each other head-on. The side-impact test is conducted at 38.5 mph, and the rollover test simulates a driver steering sharply in one direction, then sharply in the other at speeds of 35 mph to 50 mph.

The report said tests need to better account for SUVs, which are more susceptible to rollovers, and the damage caused when SUVs strike passenger cars. Rollovers account for about 30 percent of fatalities.

NHTSA's program, which began in 1978, also could be improved by developing better ways of measuring how SUVs, large trucks and pickups interact with small vehicles in crashes, how to protect occupants in rollovers and by rating technologies that help reduce accidents, such as electronic stability control.

The report also suggests stronger standards for roof crush, which has been criticized by safety groups as a major problem in SUV rollovers, and the use of crash test dummies of different sizes.

NHTSA administrator Jeffrey Runge said he had not reviewed the report but called the crash test program "a terrific value for the American consumer." The agency conducted 85 crash tests and 36 rollover tests in the 2004 budget year at a cost of $7.7 million.