The U.S. Transportation Secretary announced this week that the Department of Transportation is setting tougher roof strength standards for passenger vehicles. The new restrictions will require all cars, trucks, and SUVs under 6,000 pounds to have a roof strength that is able to withstand up to 3 times the vehicle's weight. Previously unregulated heavy vehicles (6,000 to 10,000 pounds) are now required to have a roof strength that can withstand 1.5 times the vehicle's weight. These standards will begin to be implemented in September 2012, to be standard on all vehicles by 2017. The announcement was met with acclaim by vehicle safety advocates, who have been clamoring for stricter roof strength standards for years.
These tougher restrictions will help to lower the number of fatalities in rollover accidents. In 2007, rollover accidents were responsible for over 10,000 deaths and another 250,000 injuries. Victims involved in rollover accidents often suffer serious, catastrophic injuries that may leave them permanently disabled and unable to return to work after the accident. Barry Walker is a Birmingham auto accident attorney with the skills and experience to help rollover accident victims receive full compensation for their injuries.
Our Birmingham auto accident lawyers specialize in personal injury and wrongful death cases that stem from rollover accidents in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. If you have been injured in an automobile accident in Birmingham or its neighboring cities, call a Birmingham auto accident attorney at 1-877-925-5373 for a free initial consultation regarding your case.
