Research Proposal on "Rollover the Hidden History of the SUV"

Research Proposal 5 pages (2218 words) Sources: 9 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Rollover the Hidden History Of the SUV

The objective of this work is to investigate the rollover history of the SUV. This work will examine whether the Ford Explorer or the Goodyear Tires were to blame for the fatal accidents which occurred. Toward this end this work will conduct a review of literature in this area of inquiry and will summarize the facts through the classification of the theories and issues involved and state a conclusion.

The report of Casey, Gerry, Schenk, Francavilla, Blatt & Penfield (2009) states that Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act in 1975 which served to establish Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards which were geared toward the aim of compelling car manufacturers to increase vehicle fuel economy. Automakers are stated to have "...auto makers gradually reduced the weight of small and mid-size passenger vehicles...in order to comply with CAFE standards." (Casey, Gerry, Schenk, Francavilla, Blatt & Penfield, 2009) Reportedly, the automakers reduced the weight of vehicles through the substitution of plastic that is very light in weight replacing the previous steel in bumpers as well as in other structures which absorb impact to the vehicle. The results are lighter and more vulnerable SUVs and trucks and these also have a higher clearance creating a much higher risk for serious injury and death when these SUVs are involved in roadway accidents. In April of 1973 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on a rollover resistant standard 'that would specify minimum performance requirements for the resistance of vehicles to rollover in simulations of extreme driving conditions encountered in attempting to avoid accidents'. However no safety standard was issued. (The Sad History of Rollover Prevention -- 30 Years, Thousands of Deaths and Injuries and Still No Safety Performance Standard, nd) The work of Grundin (2009) entitled: "SUV Rollover Accidents" reports that rollover accidents are "one of the most deadly motor vehicle accidents there are. In a rollover accident involving a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), the vehicle often turns over on its side or roof. This usually happens when the vehicle is turning too sharply while moving at excessive speeds. Although any vehicle can rollover, SUVs and pickup trucks, which have a higher center of gravity are the most likely to rollover." Grundin reports that rollovers became a public discussion approximately ten years ago when the Ford Motor Company "recalled many Ford Explorers equipped with Bridgestone/Firestone tires. In a number of high-profile cases, these tires failed at high rates of speed and resulted in SUV rollover accidents." (2009) Lowering the SUV's center of gravity has been the method agreed upon by engineers and safety experts as being that would prove most effective in limiting the proneness of the SUV to rolling over in additional to widening the SUV's track width, or the distance between the SUV's wheels. However, as noted in the work of Grundin these changes in design are expensive and manufacturers of SUVs "have been slow to incorporate these modifications." (2009) Grundin reports that pressure in today's marketplace has impacted the sale of SUVs which has resulted in manufacturers of SUVs searching for new tactics and strategies for marketing these vehicles. Certain models of SUVs are more likely to result in rollover accidents than are other models including the Ford Explorer, the Jeep CJ, Wrangler, and Cherokee and the Mercury Mountaineer, GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe. Safety mechanisms that are included in many SUVs include those as follows: (1) electronic stability control which utilizes automatic computer-controlled braking of each wheel separately and assist drivers in retaining control if the vehicle beings to slip or skid; (2) seat belts which have been shown in studies to reduce the risk of death in a rollover accident by approximately 75%; and (3) rollover air bags which protect drivers and passengers in side-impact crashes. (Grundin, 2009) Stated to be road conditions that result in SUV rollovers are factors such as soft roadside shoulders, uneven ground, roadside objects such as curbs and guardrails, objects in the roadway including hazards such as oil spills.

A report published by the Reeves Law Group entitled: "SUV Models with Poor Rollover Accident Records" states that some SUVS have a "higher likelihood of rollover than others. Ford Explorer rollover accidents have numbered in the thousands." (2009) It is reported additionally that the Ford Explorer Sport Trac has been ranked by the NHTSA "as having the higher risk of rollover accidents in a test conducted in 2004. Ford Explorers have a rollover risk in a single vehicle crash of 30% to 40%." (Reeves Law Group, 2009) Built on the same platform, the Ford Explorer, Ford Bronco and Ford Ranger "all have a high rate of rollovers" and this is due to these vehicles having in common a "narrow wheelbase and a high center of gravity. In other words they are top-heavy. Lateral forces applied to the vehicle, such as those generated in a sudden turn, create an unreasonably high risk of rollover accidents." (Reeves Law Group, 2009) According to this report the decisions made by the management of Ford both initially and across many years have been of the nature that have "cost hundreds of people their lives and cause many more to suffer serious injuries from rollover accidents." (Reeves Law Group, 2009) Stated as one decision made by ford management and described as particularly troublesome is the recommendation of a "very low tire pressure for Explorers in order to increase the stability and soften the ride. The under-inflated tires, many of which were made by Firestone, experienced treat separation, particularly at high temperatures. Many Explorer rollover accidents were caused by tread separation at or below legal highway speeds." (Reeves Law Group, 2009) While defective tires are known to have been the trigger of the rollover accidents involving hundreds of Ford Explorers the fact is that merely 1/10 of the 1,200 rollover deaths recorded since 1991 have been caused by defective tires.

The work entitled: 'Rollover: The Hidden History of the SUV" (2002) relates that six million tires were recalled at the time of this report in 2002 and that these tires were under government investigation relating to "hundreds of light truck and SUV accidents." (PBS, 2002) The Ford Explorer is stated in this report to be the world's best-selling sport utility vehicle. The report states that according to President Ronald Reagan the U.S. auto industry "simply needs the freedom to compete unhindered by whimsical bureaucratic changes in energy, environmental and safety regulations." (PBS, 2002) Brian O'Neill of the Institute for Highway Safety states in the PBS report that there should have been an introduction of minimum stability standard based on vehicle's characteristics as proposed at the time, but the government decided not to..." concluding that this would cause an elimination of some kinds of vehicles." (PBS, 2002) The debate which ensues in this PBS report transcript is one in which policies of the government are attacked and defended. However, the overall content of this report highlights how the governmental policy objectives have been influenced highly by the automakers industry and that governmental foreign relations have been just as impacted by America's dependence on oil. The report entitled: "Ford Explorer Rollover Lawsuits & Safety Recall Information" states that after Ford started pointing fingers at Bridgestone-Firestone Tires the CEO of Firestone John Lampe stated as follows:

"Firestone will no longer sell tires to Ford for use on the Explorer. There is something wrong with the Ford Explorer. The testing and accident data we have done proves it," Lampe said. "You can take our tires off the Ford Explorer and it would continue to roll over." (Willis, 2009)

And in fact, in 2006, evidence obtained in a Ford Explorer rollover trial "indicated that the Explorer is unstable, not only on Firestone tires but also on tires made by Good year, Cooper, Michelin's Uniroyal, BF Goodrich, Kelly Springfield, Continental General and other manufacturers." (Willis, 2009)

It is stated in the report of R. David Pittle, Senior Vice President for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports in a SAE/TOPTEC Conference on Rollovers in April 2002 that "...despite the absence of technical barriers to providing more comprehensive consumer information on rollover, the protracted history of NHTSA's rulemaking initiatives on rollover suggests that the agency may encounter difficulties in obtaining support for its actions from all the major stakeholders." (2002) It is the opinion expressed by Pittle that everyone involved are all major stakeholders and have responsibilities in finding a solution as consumers are injured at "appallingly high rates in SUV rollovers. Congress has spoken unanimously on the need for dynamic tests to measure every vehicle's rollover propensity. And a prestigious group of nationally recognized experts from across the country has concluded that such tests are technically feasible and necessary for assessing the rollover propensity of your products. Using this approach should result in safer vehicles on the road." (Pittle, 2002) Pittle states that should automakers made the choice to "fight the… READ MORE

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