Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers Blog

The Institute for Highway Safety tested 2010 small pickup trucks and not one model was named the institute's best pick for safety. In order to achieve that honor the vehicle has to score "good" in front, side, rear and rollover tests. The vehicle also has to be equipped with electronic stability control.

Across the board small pickups scored "marginal" in roof strength, one of the most important safety features when a vehicle rolls over. This is the first year that the IHS is testing vehicles for rollover and the institute boosted its roof strength requirement across the board. A roof crush test is conducted by driving a metal plate against the roof at a constant speed. For a "good" rating the roof must not buckle more than five inches by a force four times the vehicle's weight. The Nissan Frontier was the only pick-up to achieve a "good" rating in the roof crush and failed to be named the top safety pick because it scored "acceptable" when protecting occupants in a rear crash.

The most startling discovery came when the side curtain airbags in the Dodge Dakota failed to deploy in a side-impact test. Chrysler has identified the problem as a technical one and is currently working on a solution. It should also be noted that the Dakota is the only pick-up that does not have standard side curtain airbags. Chevrolet Colorado scored the lowest in the roof crush test and the institute was unhappy with its protection of the driver's chest and pelvis in a crash.

Related Sources:
Small Pickup Trucks Lag in IIHS Crash and Roof Crush Tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its annual list of its safest vehicles and the list is significantly smaller than in years past. In 2009, the institute awarded 94 vehicles compared to only 27 vehicles in 2010. In order for vehicles to qualify they needed to achieve the highest possible score in the roof strength evaluation, something that was never required before. With the increased attention to roof strength the institute now covers the four most common types of crashes: front, side, rear and rollover.

While rollover accidents are the least common of the four they do result in the highest number of fatalities. A roof crush limits the amount of head room in vehicles and detrimentally impacts the way safety devices such as seat belts and airbags protect the occupants. The windows are also routinely broken during a roof crush which substantially increases occupant ejection from the vehicle resulting in higher degrees of injury.

Ford and its Volvo unit received the most top awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety with six and Subaru and Volkswagen received five awards. Chrysler had four vehicles awarded with Honda and General Motors receiving two awards. Toyota, Mazda and Mitsubishi vehicles did not achieve any awards. The Honda Accord and Ford Fusion, winners in 2009, were left off the list because they did not score high enough on the roof test.

Related Web Sources:
Insurance Industry Picks Safest Cars

The Chrysler Group LLC has agreed to accept product liability claims on vehicles manufactured before June 10, 2009. As part of the bankruptcy deal struck with congress Chrysler Group did not have to accept liability for cars manufactured before the bankruptcy deal was approved.

Stewart Eisenberg previously appeared on 6 ABC to discuss the ramifications the deal would have on injured consumers. That deal has changed and injured consumers will once again be able to fight the automaker for the compensation they deserve. If you believe you or a loved one has been harmed as a direct result of an auto defect in a vehicle please do not hesitate to contact our experienced crashworthiness attorneys to discuss your potential case.

Chrysler's Press Release:

Auburn Hills, Mich. - In a letter sent today to Members of Congress, Chrysler Group LLC announced that the company will accept product liability claims on vehicles manufactured by Chrysler LLC (now OldCarco LLC) before June 10, 2009, and involved in accidents on or after that date. On June 10, 2009, Chrysler Group purchased substantially all of the assets of Old Carco.

"We want our customers to feel comfortable and confident buying, driving and enjoying one of our vehicles," Bozzella said. "Chrysler Group vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal safety standards and have excellent safety records."

Although Rollover Accidents, including SUV rollovers and 15 passenger van rollovers, are not the most common type of accident, they do result in the highest number of fatalities. This is a result of poorly designed and constructed roofs, which crush during the rollover. Roof crush is responsible for serious and fatal injuries such as brain and spinal damage.

Roof crush is most common in SUVs, trucks and large passenger vans, which have a higher center of gravity, leaving them vulnerable for rollover during low-speed collisions, emergency evasive maneuvers and sudden tire failure.

Why roof crush results in injuries

Roof crush results in limited headroom inside the vehicle, which substantially increases the likelihood of a head injury. Strong roof supports and/or rollbars are necessary in order for a roof to maintain its shape during a rollover accident. This will help to prevent the roof from collapsing onto the passengers.

In order for safety features such as airbags and safety belts to work properly, intrusion into the vehicle needs to be limited. When the roof intrudes into the vehicles, the safety features will not be able to fully protect the occupants from injury.

During roof crush, the windshield and side windows become weak and break under the pressure. The open windows allow for occupants to be ejected during the rollover, causing serious and fatal injuries.

Roof crush injuries

Roof crush results in severe injuries to passengers inside the vehicle and passengers ejected from the vehicle. Such injuries are:

• Severe head and brain trauma


• Injury to the spinal cord


• Back and neck injury


• Paralysis (quadriplegia and paraplegia)

Injuries such as these could be easily prevented through proper roof design and construction. With proper roofs, SUV Rollover and 15 Passenger Van Rollover Accidents could be easily survivable. This can be done by adding support to roof pillars through high-density foam or honey combed cardboard.

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