A a low-speed collision between a car and a truck or SUV ends up worse for the former, not just because of the latter’s higher ride height and added mass, but because of the bumper design and requirements. In an attempt to change this, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will petition the U.S. government today to change the federal bumper rules for light trucks.
Currently, car bumpers are mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to protect an area 16 to 20 inches above the ground, taking a 2.5mph impact into a flat barrier with no significant damage. Truck and SUV bumpers are significantly higher than that, and with the exception of the Ford Explorer , few SUVs are designed with car/truck collisions in mind.
The Institute claims a better alignment of truck and car bumpers would potentially save drivers thousands of dollars in damages, and that government claims that such legislation would decrease the utility of light trucks are out of date and wrong.
Approving the IIHS plans is not likely to happen, as the NHTSA has rejected such revisions before in 1984 and 1991, says an Automotive News report.
