| Just about everything to do with vehicle safety is | | | | leaving the passenger compartment intact. |
| regulated. From seat belts to side | | | | Bumpers are designed to hit other |
| curtain airbags, everything must meet a | | | | bumpers, thus the crumple zones of both |
| minimum standard. The National Highway | | | | vehicles absorb the force of an accident. |
| Traffic Safety Administration helps to develop | | | | Sensors for the airbags are also integrated into |
| these safety standards. According to | | | | many bumpers.When a vehicle with a substantially |
| their website, "The NHTSA serves as the | | | | higher bumper hits a lower vehicle from behind, |
| catalyst for addressing critical safety issues | | | | the higher bumper hits the trunk of the lower |
| that affect the motor vehicle and highway | | | | vehicle, bypassing the bumper and |
| safety communities." Yet it has failed to | | | | parts of the crumple zone that are designed to |
| implement a critical safety standard; a universal | | | | fold in an accident. As such, more of |
| bumper height standard that | | | | the force reaches the passenger compartment. |
| applies to passenger cars, SUV's, minivans, and | | | | SUV's often weigh 50% more than an |
| light trucks. The current standard, | | | | average car. The added momentum can't be |
| which was last revised on May 14 1982, only | | | | slowed down and absorbed by the car |
| applies to passenger cars. With SUV's | | | | effectively if the SUV rides up on the hood or |
| and light trucks making up 3 of the 5 best selling | | | | trunk.Many manufacturers have recognized the |
| vehicles in the United States, isn't | | | | effects of when an SUV hits a lower car. |
| it time our safety regulations are | | | | The 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class was the first |
| updated?Decades ago universal bumper height | | | | SUV to introduce "crash |
| wasn't a critical issue. Most vehicles were | | | | compatibility" to the SUV segment. Unlike most |
| within a few inches of each other height wise, | | | | sport utility vehicles, the M-Class |
| thus the bumpers were more or less | | | | frame was designed so that it was unlikely to |
| lined up. Today, with Escalades and Explorers | | | | override a passenger car's body |
| sharing the roads with Escorts and | | | | structure in a collision.Critics see a problem with |
| Accents, it's just as likely that a car will be hit by | | | | having a universal bumper height standard as it |
| a larger vehicle than one its own | | | | may |
| size.Most vehicles cover the actual bumper | | | | reduce the approach and departure angles for |
| (comprised of foam and steel on most cars) | | | | some SUVs. These angles refer to a |
| with a plastic piece that better integrates with | | | | vehicle's ability to drive over an obstacle without |
| the exterior design. Pick-ups and | | | | damaging the front or rear |
| some SUV's chrome the bumper. What we can't | | | | bumpers. About 3% of SUV's are taken off road |
| see is the complex engineering | | | | and virtually 100% of vehicles are |
| that's in place to distribute the force of an | | | | used on the road; the priority should go to on |
| impact as evenly as possible across the | | | | road safety not off road convenience.A universal |
| crumple zones. These crumple zones absorb the | | | | bumper height standard makes sense for every |
| impact with the intention of | | | | driver out there. |