Rollover warning made mandatory for sport utility vehicles.

Manufacturers of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) must display a new warning label on the sun visor or driver's side window to warn that the vehicles may roll over in a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

"With sport utility vehicles becoming increasingly more popular, we believe it is important to empower consumers with vital information about safety risks," said Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, announcing the new standard in March.

The label depicts a tipping vehicle and a belted passenger and reads, "WARNING: HIGHER ROLLOVER RISK. Avoid Abrupt Maneuvers and Excessive Speed. Always Buckle Up. See Owner's Manual for Further Information." The sticker will be mandatory beginning in model year 2000. NHTSA has also required that more information on vehicle design and how to reduce the risk of reliever be included in owner's manuals.

The sticker "could affect litigation by helping manufacturers take the position that consumers were warned and either voluntarily accepted the risk or failed to follow the warnings," said Stuart Ollanik, an attorney in Arvada, Colorado, who has litigated SIN cases. "The unfairness of that is there's nothing a driver can do to prevent reliever in an emergency situation. That's not where a warning would be effective. If the warnings are effective in convincing people to buy a different kind of car, that will reduce rollover accidents."

More than half the passenger vehicles sold today are SUVs and other light trucks. According to NHTSA, most sport utility vehicle accidents involve ejections because occupants are not wearing seat belts. The agency reports that more than 60 percent of people killed in SUV accidents in 1997 died when the vehicles rolled over. There were 1,482 rollover deaths that year, almost double the number of deaths reported 10 years ago.

High center of gravity

Because SUVs are taller (with a higher center of gravity) and narrower than other passenger vehicles, they can roll over when hit by another vehicle, when they must maneuver rapidly from side to side, or when they hit curbs or potholes.

"While these vehicles may do well in certain types of crashes, they also are much more likely to roll over. People should be aware of that trait when they are choosing a family vehicle," said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, NHTSA administrator.

NHTSA began work in 1996 on a rollover standard and is developing a test to gauge an SUV's tendency to roll over. The agency's most recent SUV side-impact crash tests showed that "the tests do reinforce real-world crash experience, which shows that when struck in a side-impact collision, SINs are more prone to roll over than other vehicle types," according to a report on the tests.

But NHTSA doesn't know if the 1999 Honda CR-V, Isuzu Rodeo, and Kia Sportage SINs that were tested are more prone to flip over in side-impact crashes than other SINs because the tests weren't designed to measure the vehicles' propensity to roll over.

According to Slater, NHTSA will conduct more research on sport utility vehicle safety, including testing the angle at which SUVs tip over and studying engineering changes like stronger roofs and integrated seating systems that could help reduce injuries.