Consumers Union Pleased That NHTSA has Proposed Help for Consumers On Vehicle Rollover Problem.

Business Editors

YONKERS, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2000

In response to a 1996 petition from Consumers Union (CU), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that the agency will put in place a five-star ratings program that compares the relative stability of new motor vehicles. NHTSA's goal is to allow consumers to consider the risk of rollover as they decide which vehicle best suits their needs. NHTSA proposes using a vehicle's static stability factor (SSF)1 as the primary comparative element of this consumer information program.

"In the overall picture, we are pleased that NHTSA, after granting our petition for a consumer information program about SUV rollover risks, is now trying to give consumers some basis on which to assess and compare a vehicle's rollover propensity," said Dr. R. David Pittle, CU Senior Vice President and Technical Director. "We think it's an important safety issue, and we are hopeful that after the public comment period, NHTSA's final action will help consumers make safer purchase decisions."

"We are also pleased that, by relating the static stability factor (SSF) to its own dynamic testing research, NHTSA has recognized the value of dynamic testing as a basis for an information program. We hope that, with this new program, the agency has overcome the many shortcomings it had previously associated with SSF as a measure of rollover propensity."

"While CU believes, based on many years of testing experience, that dynamic tests would likely provide consumers with more pertinent and reliable information," added Dr. Pittle, "we approach NHTSA's proposal with an open mind. CU engineers and research staff will analyze NHTSA's proposal to assess its value to consumer safety. We will then advise both NHTSA and our readers of our conclusions."

CU has always favored dynamic tests of vehicle performance for much the same reasons CU favors performance tests of other products. "When we evaluate any product, we make every effort to test that product in as close to real world conditions--i.e., having the product perform its essential tasks--as we can," Pittle continued. "Dishwashers, for example, are evaluated by measuring how well they clean soiled dishes, glasses, and flatware. The same philosophy guides all of our test programs."

Specifically with respect to rollover stability, CU has previously taken the position that a dynamic test is preferable. According to David Champion, director of CU's Auto Test Division, "In the public comment period, we'll be raising several questions to determine whether or not NHTSA has met its goal of providing valuable comparative information to consumers. Unlike a static measure, a dynamic test evaluates the whole vehicle's performance, which includes many more variables than vehicle track width and center-of-gravity height. It also reflects the stability of the vehicle in real-world driving situations, which takes into account the vehicle's suspension and tires, and the presence of an active stabilizing system."

Sally Greenberg, Senior Product Safety Counsel at CU noted: "The problem of rollover is an important safety issue for all vehicle occupants. Rollover accidents are especially deadly: 62% of those who died in SUV crashes were involved in rollovers. With greater number of sport utility vehicles on the road today and their corresponding tendency to rollover at a rate of nearly three times that of passenger cars, making safety information available to consumers through an agency program is more critical than ever."

In August 1996 CU asked NHTSA to develop a test and ratings program to compare the rollover propensity of SUV models and publish the results for consumers to consult before buying or leasing a vehicle. In granting the petition in May 1997, NHTSA called CU a "welcome partner" in the development of a program.

Comments on NHTSA's program should refer to Docket # NHTSA-2000-6859 and be delivered within 60 days to:

Docket Management Room PL-401 400 Seventh St., SW Washington, DC 20590

Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent, nonprofit testing and information-gathering organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.

1 SSF is the ratio of two aspects of the vehicle: center of gravity

and track width (The SSF is computed as T/2H, with H being the

height above the ground of the vehicle's center of gravity and T

being its track width).