WASHINGTON — The auto industry has voluntarily agreed to redesign its vehicles by model year 2010 to reduce the risk of injuries from collisions between SUVs and cars.
The decision, to be formally announced today, was reached by 15 car makers, representing virtually all the cars sold in the U.S. The auto makers have agreed to meet voluntary standards that will, in effect, mean that all vehicles will soon have side impact airbags that protect both the chest and the head in a crash.
The car makers also said they would reduce the front-end height of SUVs and pickup trucks to make them more compatible with cars, thereby reducing the risk of an SUV overriding a car in head-on collisions.
The agreement marks a significant shift for the industry which only a few months ago said SUVs were as safe as passenger cars.
"This is an unprecedented commitment because you have automakers on three different continents working in unison on safety for the first time," said Eron Shosteck, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The alliance developed the agreement along with the car makers and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by car insurers.
Consumer and safety advocates expressed skepticism about the plan. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, called it "a diversionary tactic to stave off meaningful federal regulation and standards that consumers can rely on." She added that the industry has failed to live up to safety promises it made in the past.
In head-on collisions between cars and light trucks in 2001, 1,365 car occupants and 375 light truck occupants were killed. The industry said the front-end design change of SUVs and light trucks could reduce the risk of injuries by 28 percent.
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