National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today proposed a more arduous roof crush standard for cars and trucks.   If implemented, the change could prevent 500-800 injuries each year and 13-44 deaths.  The cost to carmakers as a whole is expected to be a whopping $88-$95 million annually.

On the surface the combined cost to manufacturers sounds like a staggering number, and it is.  But, viewed from another angle the per-unit cost to meet the proposed new standard adds only $11.81 to the sticker price of a new vehicle, and that’s a bargain.  Which of us wouldn’t pay such a meager difference for a safer car?

Press Releases from NHTSA tell us that about 10,000 people die each year in accidents that involve cars and trucks rolling onto their roofs.  Currently, auto manufacturers must build roofs and supporting structures that hold one and one half times a vehicle’s weight. The  proposed new standard requires a vehicle’s roof to support more - two and one half times a vehicle’s weight. 

Not surprisingly, there are a other provisions in the current standard and the proposed standard than merely the weight factor. For example, the type of vehicle the standard applies to needs consideration as well. 

Make no mistake about it, I am in favor of tougher criterion.  However, I don’t want to get bogged down explaining what I believe is good or bad about the proposed standard.  There is more than enough of that kind of text in the articles linked below to satisfy the average reader.  My goal is to convey dangers consumers expose themselves to when they buy rebuilt cars and trucks that have been totaled or heavily damaged in a rollover or crash of significant magnitude - even those vehicles that were originally built to a more stringent standard. I also hope to clarify how consumers can prevent being ripped off in a successive series of articles that will be on line soon.

Statistics reveal that body shops often fail to repair cars properly
 
When autos are rebuilt according to the dictates of the original manufacturer, putting them back onto the roadways isn’t a problem.  However, the sad truth is that most cars and trucks are not properly repaired.

Our post-repair inspections reveal that more than 70 percent of repaired cars and trucks exhibit flaws and defects of one sort or another after they have been given a clean bill of health by a body shop; The problems found on 40 percent are so ghastly and severe that automotive experts do not consider these vehicles safe to drive or occupy. 

Sadly, few people are aware that their rebuilt vehicle is dangerous. They often remain without knowledge of this fact for two reasons:

a)  Most salvage vehicles are never given an adequate safety inspection by a knowledgeable, safety-conscious automotive post repair expert prior to being returned to service. 

b)  Nearly everyone assumes  rebuilt salvage cars are properly repaired, especially when they have some familiarity with the shop or repairer who performed the work.

Consumers should be made aware of perils and risks that come with rebuilt autos

Perhaps some consumers may be aware of the safety risks accompanying rebuilt autos.  These people may knowingly be willing to trade their safety and the safety of their passengers for the monetary upfront savings of buying rebuilt salvage vehicles. Other consumers may not be aware of the risks or willing to accept them. 

Consider passengers who accept a ride in a rebuilt car without sufficient knowledge that the auto may be dangerous; or parents who unknowingly send their kids off to school in a neighbor’s shoddily rebuilt minivan?  Should these folks not be made aware of dangerous conditions on vehicles that they or their loved ones will occupy? 

Think also for a moment about driving at night on a narrow two-lane road with approaching traffic.  Unaimed headlights from an oncoming vehicle suddenly blind you and you drift across the yellow line.  A devastating collision occurs.  Should you be held liable for serious injuries to the on-coming car’s occupants that result because the vehicle you hit may have been poorly repaired after a previous accident?

There are, of course, naïve individuals who buy rebuilt autos with the assumption that they have been properly repaired.    These individuals often fork over the cash with little more than a cursory inspection or a tire kick.  And while the paint work may be given a great deal of scrutiny because it is easily seen, safety aspects like the ability of the vehicle to fold predictably upon impact or support its own weight if rolled onto its roof in a subsequent accident will probably not be considered simply because most of the structure is out of sight.  This makes the process of determining safety too difficult and too complicated for the average buyer to concern himself or herself with.

Considering the value of a limb or a life,  most people would agree that inexpensively priced rebuilt vehicles are not bargains if they compromise occupant safety or put at risk the safety of occupants of cars with whom they share the roads.

Click here to learn the questions prospective buyers should ask of sellers before purchasing rebuilt vehicles.  In addition to finding answers to these questions, buyers should thoroughly inspect vehicles they are considering for purchase if they have adequate knowledge and equipment to determine whether or not they are safe to drive.  If a buyer lacks knowledge or equipment to make an informed decision, he/she should hire the services of an automotive expert to assure they are indeed getting the quality of car being represented to them by the seller.

NHTSA Proposes New Roof Crush Standard

Updated Information:

12/06/05  NHTSA in for a Fight Over 'Roof-Crush Rule' 
by Cindy Skrzycki, Business Columnist  www.washingtonpost.com 

content & design 2002-2008 David Williams and SafeCollisionRepairs.com

About Safe Collision Repairs

For more than ten years, David Williams of Wheelersburg, Ohio's Safe Collision Repairs has worked with consumers and attorneys in the tri-states of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia to expose unsafe auto repairs and maximize recovery on auto insurance claims. Some of the company's services include Post-Repair Inspections, Prepurchase Inspections, Auto Damage Assessments, Lemon Law Investigations, Expert Court Testimony and Diminished Value Calculations using an advanced version of Network Information Communication's WreckCheck program.

Inquiries can be directed to: Safe Collision Repairs David A. Williams Post Office Box 70 Wheelersburg, Ohio 45694 (740) 456-1111 (740) 355-4056

Disclaimer

The content expressed on this website and in the article above represents the opinions of David A. Williams. Williams is neither an attorney nor public insurance adjuster, but is an expert, consultant, and writer specializing in the field of automotive collision repair and valuations. The information provided herein is not intended to be a substitute for legal or insurance advice. Because collision repair is a continually evolving science, any text, materials or links found herein are provided without claim or guarantee to their accuracy or completeness.