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Global Driving

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A National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel has issued a statement saying the government should revise its controversial rollover rating system for vehicles. Calling the system too broad and simplistic, the panel said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should come up with a system that has more categories or a more detailed numerical score to give consumers more detailed information.

The current rollover rating system uses a mathematical formula called the "static stability factor" to rate vehicles on the likelihood they will roll over. The system generally favors cars and downgrades sport-utility vehicles because of their high height-to-width ratio. Federal legislation already in place requires the NHTSA to come up with a real-world or "dynamic" test for rollover ratings by November. However, according to the article from GlobalAutoNet.com , the NAS recommendation may prod NHTSA to rethink all of its vehicle ratings, including the one-to-five-star front and side crash test ratings, perhaps adding layers of detail to provide more information. A NHTSA spokesman said Thursday that the agency will "look at the [NAS] concerns and re-evaluate." Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers spokeswoman Gloria Bergquist said her group would favor such a change, commenting in the Wall Street Journal that "You can't rate a vehicle like you can a movie."

Related Links:

• Read the full report from NAS, with summary (PDF format)
• Rollover: the hidden history of the SUV - article on Drivers.com
• NHTSA rollover and other crash ratings for 2002 vehicles
• How to reduce the chances of a rollover
• Discussion area on SUVs and tire separation---Drivers.com

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