What is the current federal standard for rollover crashworthiness? What changes have been announced?
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 216, Roof Crush Resistance, establishes a minimum requirement for roof strength to “reduce deaths and injuries due to the crushing of the roof into the occupant compartment in rollover crashes.” In this test, a rigid plate is pushed into one side of the roof at a constant speed. The roof must be strong enough to prevent the plate from moving 5 inches when pushed at a force equal to 1½ times the weight of the vehicle. The test went into effect in 1973 and remained essentially unchanged until an updated rule was announced in 2009. The new rule will require that a roof withstand an applied force equal to 3 times the vehicle’s weight while maintaining sufficient headroom for an average size adult male. While both sides of a vehicle’s roof were required to meet the former standard, only one side was tested on any given vehicle. The new rule requires a second test of the same vehicle’s roof on the opposite side. Beginning with 2013 model vehi
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