Safeguarding Your Brain

The federal government says it wants to make car tops tougher to protect your head in a rollover accident. Some watchdog agencies like Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety say the proposed new standards won’t prevent catastrophic brain injuries when the roof of your car mashes in your head in a rollover accident. Even if you recover, your brain may not. Picture yourself, or a loved one in a wheelchair or worse. The Washington Post says rollover accidents cause more than 10,000 fatalities a year. That’s why the struggle between the federal government and watchdog agencies for safer tops on cars to avoid “roof crush” is so important. It really heated up when the SUV increased rollover crashes. Safety groups and the insurance industry say that a roof should be able to bear three times the weight of the car to absorb the force of the crash when the car rolls over. Car manufacturers say that would cost $95 million only save 44 lives and 793 injuries a year. Insiders say Congress could back off the proposed new standard even though it’s not as tough as safety advocates want. Meanwhile, the injured have a recourse: a personal injury lawyer who can fight for a settlement after a catastrophic rollover. FYI: Remember how long it took to get air bags in cars? This fight is similar.