A recent article on CNN.com highlights the findings of a new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) regarding crashes involving cars and SUVs. Cars are required by federal rules to have bumpers that protect an area between 16 and 20 inches from the floor so that if they crash into one another, they will likely hit bumper-to-bumper. However, there aren’t any such rules for SUVs and trucks. SUV bumpers are usually so high in the air that cars are able to pass underneath them in traffic accidents, which can lead to serious injury or death as well as expensive vehicle damage.
To explore how badly the damage could be in an accident, low-speed crash tests were conducted where small cars and SUVs ran into one another at 10 miles per hour. The Institute used one small car and one SUV from seven different auto manufacturers. For each pair, the small car was driven into the back of the SUV at 10 mph, and then the opposite was done, with the SUV driven into the back of the car at 10 mph. The IIHS selected motor vehicles from the same manufacturer because they believed that the automakers would have compatibility in their fleet regarding bumpers, but the results showed that many did not.
Total damage ranged from $2,995 up to $9,867, with oftentimes severe damage resulting from things such as broken cooling fans or radiators. Seven SUV-car pairs were tested by the Institute, and at the conclusion of their study, they reported that they were not able to select a single pair as a compatibility model because the combined damages for both vehicles in a car were in the thousands of dollars.
The IIHS believes that part of the problem is that the bumper on most motor vehicles is weaker than they should be. In the 1980s, car bumper rules were lessened. They were once required to be able to withstand impacts at five mph but these days they are only required to withstand impacts at about half that speed. Alarmingly, there aren’t regulations for SUVs regarding bumper performance or height. In 2008, the Institute requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulate the bumpers of SUVs and trucks the same as those on cars. Currently the NHTSA is reviewing public comments on the issue and is deciding whether they should regulate SUV bumpers.
Automakers have a legal duty to produce motor vehicles that are free of defects that could potentially cause a motorist or others on the road harm. Car manufacturers also have a responsibility to properly design a vehicle to withstand various types of auto accidents. If you have been in a car accident, and believe your vehicle’s damage was more extensive because of an inferior bumper or another type of poor vehicle design, contact the Los Angeles auto product liability lawyers at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP. Call us at 1-877-800-1700 today to learn about your options in pursuing a case against an automaker.
