SUVs, Vans and Pick-up Trucks Get New Roof Safety Requirements

August 2005

Attention drivers of SUVs, vans and pick-ups—did you know that your vehicles, most likely to rollover, are currently exempt from roof strength safety standards? Vehicles are equipped with safety mechanisms like airbags and anti-lock brakes but roof requirements haven’t changed since the 1970s. A new proposal for roof standards, well overdue, is finally in the works.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that roof cave-ins result in nearly 600 deaths and 800 serious injuries a year. Under the new proposal, roofs are required to withstand forces up to 2.5 times a vehicle's weight. Current roof safety guidelines only pertain to vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds. The new rules would include vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds.

The cost for design changes under the new proposal is minimal—about $11.81 per vehicle. It’s a small price to pay for the number of lives that could be saved.

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