The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is researching the benefits of establishing a new standard for tire tread depth. 

Currently, the federal government requires that a “wear bar” is built into a tire by the manufacture. This is done at the depth of 2/32 inches. Minimum tread standards are regulated by state and 37 states have minimum tread standards of 2/32 inches. 

The NHTSA is looking into changing the minimum standard to 4/32 inches. This is supposed to increase breaking distance on wet surfaces and may help prevent injuries and fatalities in car wrecks. If a new minimum standard is established, tires will be taken out of circulation once the tread reaches 4/32 inches instead of 2/32 inches.  

The COO of Michelin Americas Research Co., Dave Stafford, has stated that Michelin does not support a new NHTSA standard because of the influx of tires that would be needed in order to maintain the standard. In the

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will be releasing a study that documents the need for stricter standards regarding roofs.

The study conducted by IIHS has determined that vehicle roof strength has a direct correlation to the survival rate of occupants. The study was conducted on 11 SUV’s and it states that the vehicles with stronger roofs have injury risks that are up to 57% lower than vehicles with weaker roofs.

Statistics from IIHS show that about 35% of car wreck fatalities occur during rollovers and at least 60% of those fatalities involve SUV’s.

Drawing from these statistics, Consumer Affairs has stated that if SUV’s were held to stronger standards, more than 200 rollover related fatalities could have been prevented in 2006.

Qualified and experienced SUV rollover attorneys are working on cases involving the serious injury and fatality of occupants.

In January, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed new regulations for roof strength to prevent roof crush during a car wreck. It is estimated that at least 75 percent of vehicles on the road will not pass the proposed NHTSA standards.

Feedback for the proposal is expected in the middle of March.

The NHTSA roof crush standards have not been updated since 1978. Over 35 years, a demand for stronger restrictions has grown. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is planning to release a report on roof crush safety. The IIHS is also planning on instituting a roof crush test to the already established front and side crash tests.

The current NHTSA roof crush standards require that a vehicle that weighs 6,000 pounds or less needs to withstand a force of 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight. This means that if a vehicle rolls over, the roof should only crush in a maximum of five inches.

Any vehicle that is heavier than 6,000 pounds, like pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, are exempt from the standards. This is despite the fact that trucks and sport utility vehicles are at a higher risk of roll over, causing severe roof crush.

The proposed NHTSA standard raises the weight standard of 1.5 to 2.5, although a ratio of 3.5 times the weight of the vehicle is preferred.

The NHTSA is also considering a new roof crush test. Currently, weight is applied to only one side of the roof. The NHTSA is looking into creating a test to apply weight to both sides of a vehicle’s roof, in order to better simulate roof crush during a car wreck.

Many believe that creating a test in which a vehicle actually rolls would provide the most accurate information, but the NHTSA is only considering an adaptation of their current test, which lowers a metal plate onto the roof of a car.

Certain types of cars are left out of NHTSA’s proposal, such as convertibles, low roof line vehicles and cars designed with an open body like the Jeep Wrangler.

If you or a loved on has been seriously or fatally injured by roof crush during a car wreck, contact a roof crush attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606. An experienced roof crush lawyer will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.