SUV Rollover Accident: The Detroit News, "Thousands killed, hurt as auto roofs collapse"

          It's the hidden risk in any rollover accident, whether the roof stays intact or collapses with catastrophic results. Each year, an estimated 7,000 people are killed or severely injured in rollovers in which the roof crushed, according to federal statistics. Yet Detroit's Big Three automakers, armed with political muscle and reams of research, have fought costly upgrades to a 33-year-old roof-strength standard, even while their own European operations build and test stronger roofs.
          General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. essentially drafted the regulation as it stands. In 1971, the automakers led an industrywide effort to convince federal officials to adopt a minimum standard for roof strength — but only after their vehicle fleets failed the government's first proposed test, according to internal corporate documents examined by The Detroit News.
          The industry wanted "something that will allow our vehicles to pass," Peter Bertelson, who headed Ford's crash-test programs in the late 1960s, told The News. Critics say the industry-backed test, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216, is too weak to save lives, particularly as rollover-prone SUVs and pickups proliferate. Now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, under pressure from safety advocates and Congress, says it’s finally time to fix rule 216 and plans to propose a tougher standard later this year.