Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)produced its first rollover report. While General Motors had two sport utility vehicles receive questionable ratings; the NHTSA report is not without controversy.
Harry Pearce, vice chairman of General Motors Corporation was recently quoted in an Associated Press article calling these reports "misleading to consumers." Before discounting Harry's comments, let's explore the NHTSA test.
The rollover test has been controversial since its inception. Many have argued that successful lobbying by automakers have kept this test from being done until now. But closer inspection of what the test is based on may provide insight as to why industry executives have shown concern. It seems the biggest point of contention is the Static Stability Factor (SSF).
The Static Stability Factor (SSF)
The SSF is a measure of a vehicle's center of gravity and track width, or distance between rear tires, to determine how top-heavy the vehicle is. The more top heavy, the more likely it is to roll over. In theory, this sounds like the perfect way to determine if your SUV or truck will be susceptible to a rollover. While this lesson in geometry is accurate, it doesn't portray real life driving conditions. According to the NHTSA's own documents, most rollover crashes occur when a vehicle runs off the road and is tripped by a ditch, curb, soft soil, or other object causing it to roll over. These crashes are usually caused by driver behavior such as speeding or inattention. How accurate can the rollover report be if its primary source of testing is on a static, non moving vehicle?
Is the rollover test the best way to determine the safest vehicle? Probably not. It's probably more beneficial in determining your vehicle's center of gravity and how top-heavy it is as compared to other SUVs and trucks that are similar. While SUVs are still the safest vehicles on the road in a collision situation, nothing can be safer than using common sense. Eliminating distractions in your vehicle (cell phones, radios, kids and pets), slowing down, paying attention, wearing your seat belts and properly maintaining your vehicle will result in fewer accidents and even fewer deaths no matter what type of vehicle you drive.
