Monday, May 4, 2009

New Roof Crush Regulation a Good Start – a “WIN” FOR FLORIDA CONSUMERS and consumers across AMERICA in ROLLOVER ACCIDENTS

The U.S. Department of Transportation is requiring vehicle roofs to withstand three times the weight for vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds is a good start, but does not go far enough to protect consumers, according to the American Association for Justice (AAJ). The roof crush standard addresses the safety of vehicles’ roofs to withstand pressure when involved in rollover accidents.

Rollover accidents are the most deadly, killing one person every hour in the United States, according to industry experts. The roof standard had been in place since 1973, before SUVs were a common mode of consumer transportation. Currently, there are no roof crush standards for motor coaches and commercial trucks.

The new standard excludes commercial vehicles which weight starts at 10,001 pounds for interstate, and typically 26,001 for intrastate commercial vehicles. It is estimated by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration more than 12,000 lives could be saved by having commercial vehicle roof crush standards.

Another issue of concern to consumers is out of date insurance requirements. The minimum insurance requirements for trucks and buses were set nearly three decades ago and have never been raised. Today, those minimum levels of insurance are inadequate to compensate those who have been seriously injured in a collision involving multiple vehicles or multiple injured individuals. Adjusting the minimum insurance requirements for inflation would ensure increased coverage for the significant health care costs injured individuals can incur.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a rollover accident involving a car, SUV, or van call the TRIPP LAW FIRM at (888) 392-LAWS (5297) for a FREE TELEPHONE CASE EVALUATION. Our on-call staff and Florida Injury Attorney G. Alan Tripp, Jr., are available 24 hours a day. NO FEES OR COST IF NO RECOVERY.

www.trippfirm.com

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