This September, Professor of Law William Funk co-wrote an op-ed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new “roof-crush” rule. The rule is set to strengthen automobiles’ roofs, but Funk contends the change will have little effect on the safety of drivers; in actuality, only half of 1 percent of the 10,000 rollover accident deaths per year will be prevented. Instead, NHTSA’s new rule would preempt lawsuits arising from the faulty design of automobiles. The authors maintain that by undercutting lawsuits and preventing victims from seeking justice, the “roof-crush” proposition will inevitably slow down the “march toward safer automobiles.”

The Ann Arbor News (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Other Voices: NHTSA roof-crush standard could deny justice for crash victims

30 September 2008

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