Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 216 regulates minimum roof strength. The relationship between roof strengths of 11 midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV) roof designs and the rate of fatal or incapacitating driver injury in single-vehicle rollover crashes was evaluated in 12 states of the USA. Increased measures of roof strength resulted in significantly reduced rates of fatal or incapacitating driver injury after accounting for vehicle stability, driver age, and state differences. For the covering abstract see ITRD E144229.
Abstract