People Safe In Rollovers February 2007
An American Auto Safety Tragedy:
ROOF CRUSH
In 1962 the Impact and Roll-Over Test Procedures Subcommittee of
the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) was formed in order to develop
test procedures for evaluating vehicle structural integrity under various
types of impacts. (Deadly By Design reference 14) The subcommittee's members
included representatives from General Motors (and Fisher Body - a division
of General Motors), Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation, Kaiser
Jeep Corporation, International Harvester Company, Volkswagen of
America, Inc. and American Motors Corporation. (DBD - 15) In June 1963 the
subcommittee developed and approved the SAE Recommended Prac-
tice, "Roll-Over Tests Without Collision - SAE J857." (DBD - 16)
On October 6, 1966 the Secretary of Commerce announced the
development of initial Federal motor vehicle safety standards pursuant to
the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. (DBD - 34) The
Static Crusher was then being developed at Fisher Body by James Augus-
titis, an associate senior research engineer. (DBD - 35) Fisher Body was
responsible for building the vehicle bodies for General Motors.
In August of 1967 the Impact and Roll-Over Test Procedures Sub-
committee developed and approved SAE Recommended Practice,
"Inverted Vehicle Drop Test Procedures - SAE J996." (DBD - 36) By mid
August the subcommittee's work on test procedures was nearing comple-
tion. Members used the top drop test procedures as a means for obtain-
ing values for drop height and encroachment distance. The procedure
was designed to be a repeatable and reliable test methodology. It was
concluded that initially vehicles should be dropped from 2 feet. (DBD - 37)
Only a week or so after the subcommittee's Inverted Drop Test - SAE
J996 was approved, and the recommended drop height of 2 feet was
initially established, Fisher Body dropped two 1967 Chevrolet "B" 4 door
hardtops from 6 inches which resulted in 8 inches of dynamic intrusion.
(DBD - 38) Fisher Body tested the same 1967 Chevrolet "B" 4 door hardtop
with the static crusher and the vehicle's roof withstood 6000 pounds with
just 3 inches of crush. (DBD - 39)
People Safe In Rollovers February 2007
Immediately after General Motors' vehicles failed the two drop tests
on September 6 and 7, Ed Klove of Fisher Body prepared a proposal of a
.O.
Roof Crush Test Procedure. (DBD - 40) P Johnson of Fisher Body (and also a
subcommittee member) presented Klove's proposal to the SAE Impact
and Roll-Over Test Procedures Subcommittee on September 29, 1967.
Klove's proposal stated its advantages: "more impressive numbers are
obtained - three inches crush for 6000 lb. load. (A six inch vehicle
drop height allowing eight inches crush is not impressive)." (DBD - 41)
Fisher Body now realized that all their vehicles would not even meet a
drop height of 6 inches. (DBD - 42) Klove's proposal dared to pose the ques-
tion, "Who can say that it does not provide as good a measure of vehicle
safety as does an inverted drop test?" (DBD - 43) It was Klove's idea to sug-
gest this test procedure as an alternative method of showing compliance.
(DBD - 44) Fisher Body's nickname for the Static Crusher was "GOLDFINGER."
(DBD - 45)
On December 8, 1971, NHTSA adopted General Motors' proposal
(one that GM's vehicles could already pass) (DBD - 47) and announced that
FMVSS 216 was being created as a temporary alternative to FMVSS 208
rollover testing. (DBD - 60) The December 11, 1971 NHTSA News Release
read: "The new standard is intended as an alternative to Standard No.
208 rollover test, and will become effective on August 15, 1973. After
August 15, 1977, Standard 216 will no longer be a substitute for rollover
test of Standard 208, and is expected to be revoked by then." (DBD - 61)
On August 15, 1977 NHTSA did not revoke FMVSS 216 and substitute
it with the rollover Standard 208 as was originally planned. In the last 35
years there has been no dynamic rollover requirement implemented for
FMVSS 208 or any other federal motor vehicle safety standard and there
have been no upgrades to FMVSS 216 other than extending the same
passenger car roof strength requirements to light trucks and vans in 1991.
(DBD - 62) The result is what you see on the following pages. The auto manu-
facturers are aware that there is no occupant survival space built into the
design of these vehicles in the event of a rollover accident.
It is not just 10,000 deaths and 16,000 seriously injured in rollovers
each year, it is entire families that are torn apart in a split second for each
of these deaths and serious injuries. This is truly an American auto safety
tragedy.
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
John Hess Robbie Lambert
28 year old 18 year old
Paraplegic passenger Quadriplegic belted driver
1975 Ford F-150 1985 Chevrolet S10 Blazer
Kimberly Schute Raleigh Allen
35 year old 16 year old
Paraplegic belted driver Fatality belted driver
1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Frank Bolf Amy Chestnutt
42 year old 21 year old
Quadriplegic belted passenger
Fatality belted driver
1997 GMC Sierra 1992 Chevrolet Suburban
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Robert Granger Patrick Parker
Ventilator Quadriplegic 17 year old 37 year old
Brain Injury belted passenger Quadriplegic belted driver
2001 Ford SuperDuty
1995 Chevy Suburban F250 SuperCab
Bing Lin Duan Jessica Garcia
65 year old 16 year old
Fatality belted passenger Fatality belted passenger
1999 Chevrolet Astro Van 1993 Ford F-150 Pickup
Francie Cohen Claudette Phillips
Severe Brachial 36 year old 39 year old
Plexus Injury belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
1999 Ford Windstar 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Erika Janeth Sierra Romero Yvonne Graham
30 year old 50 year old
Fatality belted driver Brain Damage belted driver
2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer 2000 GMC Jimmy
Loa Griesbach Gloria Montanez
Ventilator 18 year old Fatality mother
Quadriplegic belted driver belted driver
1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup
Raul Ibarra Penny Shipler
12 year old 30 year old
Fatality belted passenger Quadriplegic belted passenger
1998 Ford Explorer 1996 Chevrolet S10 Blazer
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Benetta Buell-Wilson Leticia Valencia
47 year old Fatality 35 year old
Paralyzed belted driver belted passenger
1997 Ford Explorer 1998 Chevy Tahoe
Lambert Cox Ricky Hughes
57 year old 30 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
1994 GMC Yukon 1988 C/K Pickup
Claire Duncan Sonya Savant Duhon
Fractured Skull 26 year old 24 year old
Fatality belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
2000 Ford Explorer 1995 Ford Explorer
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Frances Oxendine Anita Bushong
54 year old 32 year old
Fatality belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer 1993 Nissan Pathfinder
Phillip Blanchard Joanne Barker
Neck & Spine 57 year old Fatality
belted driver 34 year old
Injuries Positional Asphyxia belted driver
1994 Ford Explorer 1999 Chevy S10 Blazer
Jeanine Valenti Michelle Lowery
34 year old 34 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver Paraplegic belted driver
1994 GMC Jimmy 1997 Silverado 1500 Pickup
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Frank Floyd Heath Charles H. Jordan
18 year old Fatality - Blunt Force 60 year old
Fatality belted driver Trauma to Head belted driver
1996 Chevrolet Suburban 2000 Sierra 3500 Pickup
Mark R. Pixley Brian Stocker
43 year old 40 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver
Quadriplegic belted passenger
1997 Chevrolet Suburban 1998 Chevy S10 Blazer
Daniel Shannon Fred Douglas Boyd
42 year old Ejection 54 year old
Fatality belted driver Fatality rear seat passenger
1998 Chevrolet S10 Pickup 1989 Ford Bronco II
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Ching Wai Kee Christopher Lee Cowan
43 year old 29 year old
Quadriplegic belted passenger Fatality belted driver
2003 Chevrolet Extended Cab
1996 GMC Jimmy Silverado Pickup
Robert Disque Joshua Mull
19 year old
Ejection 15 year old belted Quadriplegic belted driver
Fatality front seat passenger
1999 Ford Explorer 2-door
1988 Chevrolet S10 Pickup
Monica Flores Katelyn Cahill
26 year old 16 year old
Quadriplegic belted passenger Paraplegic belted passenger
1997 Chevy Tahoe 2-door
2002 Ford Explorer 2-door
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Jose H. Gonzalez Adam Robert Dylewski
53 year old 24 year old
Fatality belted driver Fatality belted driver
1996 Ford Explorer 2002 Chevrolet Blazer 2-door
Landon Groff Janet Marie Scott
19 year old 43 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver Fatality belted passenger
1999 Chevy Silverado K1500 1995 GMC Suburban
Devin Brian Newton James William Long
25 year old 16 year old
Cervical Fracture belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
1992 GMC Yukon 1985 Chevrolet S10 Pickup
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Thomas V. Milo Tabatha Tartar
29 year old 16 year old
Fatality belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
1992 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 1991 Chevrolet S10 Blazer
Matthew W. Alan Felipe Alvarez
Fatality 36 year old 25 year old
Severe Head Trauma belted driver Paraplegic belted driver
2001 Ford Explorer SportTrac 1996 Chevrolet S10 Blazer
Louisa Zepeda Atkinson Roelga Sarmento
50 year old 53 year old
Fatality belted driver Quadriplegic belted driver
1997 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 1988 Chevrolet S10 Blazer
ROOF CRUSH VICTIMS
Azucena Duran Timothy John O‘Reilly
Traumatic 44 year old 36 year old
Brain Injury belted driver
Fatality belted driver
1998 Chevrolet Blazer 2000 Ford Explorer
Jessie Marie Varelas Terry Tripp
33 year old 34 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver Fatality belted passenger
2002 Chevrolet Blazer 1993 Chevy K1500 Blazer
Billy Wayne King Lonnie Harrison Lusk
31 year old 49 year old
Quadriplegic belted driver Quadriplegic belted passenger
1989 Sierra 1500 Pickup 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer