Upgraded standard toughens crash tests
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 12/1/2003
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced changes to 49 CFR Part 571, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Fuel Systems Integrity. The regulation applies to all passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles, and buses weighing less than 10,000 lbs. Through the changes, the NHTSA aims to reduce the possibility of post-crash vehicle fires.
The changes include an upgraded rear-impact test and an upgraded side-impact test. The NHTSA also considered adding a door-operability requirement, but because the organization was not able to devise a practical and objective test procedure, it has deferred this requirement.
NHTSA estimates that nearly half of the vehicles currently on the road would not pass the new rear-impact test and that the average cost for ensuring that vehicles pass is about $5.31 per vehicle. Once all vehicles are upgraded to meet the new requirements, the agency estimates 8 to 21 lives will be saved annually.
Manufacturers will have to comply with the new rear-impact requirement by the 2009 model year; they have until model year 2005 to comply with the new side-impact requirements. The complete text of the final rule is available at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/rulings/301NPRM/Final_Rule/index.html.
