When Ralph Nader first reported car roll overs in the 1960s, it was denied by the industry. This denial was of course based on the lack of "concrete" scientific data. Instead of providing the dough to get the proper data, the industry chose to use that dough to hire private investigators to discredit Nader. A simple case of hating the messenger but not the message. It wasn't until the height of SUV popularity, and the subsequent deaths from their roll-overs that the problem was researched further and reported on more readily. The final conclusion in the official governmental study reported that trucks, vans, and SUV by the nature of physic will always have a propensity to roll over. The height of these taller vehicles pushed their center of gravity higher and therefore accounted for the high percentage of roll-overs. The official recommendation to make these cars safer was to: widen them. That was it. Widen the car. There were no recommendations to lower the actual center of gravity, nor to strengthen the car. Which many dedicated problem solver might suggest as the first two critical avenues to fixing the problem. Lowering the center of gravity would act as a preventive measure, and strengthen the car would increase the chances of survival. Oddly enough, these simply solutions were seldom mentioned.
Last week, another recommendation was given by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that suggested lives could be saved if the roofs of these vehicles were stronger. The industry was quick to denounce this recommendation by questioning the conclusiveness of the science. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) includes industrial giants such as BMW GROUP, CHRYSLER LLC, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, GENERAL MOTORS, MAZDA, MERCEDES BENZ USA, MITSUBISHI MOTORS, PORSCHE, TOYOTA AND VOLKSWAGEN. AAM's official stand on the recommendation was simply: "there remains no definitive answer as to what effect roof strength has on injury risk in rollover crashes."
That's right..., no fucking definite answer to whether a stronger roof could do anything to prevent more pain. This is quite the shit to bull. Think about this, and for any motorcycle riders this is common knowledge, but when it comes to motorized vehicle safety, it's all about the roof. It's what separates you from the cement street. The roof is the reason why car riders don't have to wear helmets. It is the lack of a roof that necessitates the need for bikers to wear a helmet. This is why NASCAR racers drive cars equipped with roll cages, not because it looks cool, but because it reinforces the car and acts as a safety shell to protect the driver. This is common sense, and now they're denying it through the pretense of thorough science? I don't get it!
Imagine if the red lines in the quickly drawn diagram was made of wood, plastic, or jello. How are they going to say that strengthen your protective layer might not scientifically prevent your injury risk?
Now in a roll over, where the direct impact of the crash will fall straight onto some part of the roof, wouldn't it be vital to have more strength, so the roof won't collapse? on you!
This protective layer isn't anything new. It's a design of nature that has thrived in many designs including the eggshell that you probably have in your frig right now. An many pro-corp people out there in forums have mentioned that by strengthening the roof you automatically pull the center of gravity higher, and therefore actually increase the chances of roll overs. I say, those people think too linearly. Strengthening the roofs, doesn't mean you have to necessary throw a slab of heavy metal on top of it. We have the technology and the materials to to strengthen the roofs without elevating the center of gravity (if we wanted to). Like Chris Rock said, "you mean to tell me they can make a satellite that goes around the solar system at 3000 miles an hour, and they can't make a ford where the bumper won't fall off?" They can. But they wont.
The last point is this: with gas prices as high as it is and undoubtedly going higher; with the lingering problem of roll overs; and with the industry denial of better protection with stronger roofs.., why on earth would any one want to drive a SUV still???
It boggles the mind to know how good they are with these ads. First you want it, then you can't live with it, then you can't live because of it. And while they're trying their deceptive best to get you to say yes to a product, they're saying no no no to your rudimentary reasoning.
