Vehicle manufacturers are calling on the US government to change a proposal to strengthen vehicle roofs on safety grounds.
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According to Reuters, under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) roof crush proposal from August 2005, Ford, GM and Chrysler would reportedly face annual costs of nearly US$100m to redesign vehicles.
Opposition has been stepped up as details of the new proposals have started to emerge over the last few months.
The NHTSA has proposed increasing roof strength standards by more than 50% to two and a half times vehicle weight. For the first time the standard would cover SUVs and pick-ups.
The measures are designed to reduce fatalities in rollover accidents caused by the head coming into contact with a collapsed roof. This is believed to cause around 600 deaths a year in the US.
