Tougher Vehicle-Impact Rules Set

An agreement between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and
automakers may reduce the severity of accidents when pickup trucks and SUVs hit
lower-riding passenger cars. Manufacturers have agreed to add and strengthen beams in the
front ends of new trucks and SUVs starting in September 2009. These “blocker beams” are
used to make the crash structures of the two different types of vehicle more compatible,
directing crash forces into the structure of cars. The agreement also calls for studies to
examine how to further reduce injuries in car-truck accidents.