Car sunroof - potential danger

There are injuries, even fatalities in the sunroof accidents.

"I didn't think I could get out of the car at the time," Liza Hankins, USA recounted in the interview with NYtimes. "The accident caused me to make friends with a wheelchair. The face looked really bad."

In 2005, one day on his way to work in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Hankins encountered an accident on the 2000 Ford Expedition. The car rolled around and she was thrown out of the car through the closed window .

Liza Hankins had to be in a wheelchair after the 2005 accident.

After the accident, Hankins' lawyer and family filed a lawsuit against Ford in court because they thought that the company did not comply with its commitment to safety. Ford asserted that Hankins did not fasten his seatbelt, but she denied this.

The lawsuit took place, Ford won. The company's argument is that no government law requires a sunroof, even when it is closed, to ensure that passengers stay in the car when an accident occurs. The family of the 18-year-old girl then accepted, but more importantly, the incident caused many safety agencies and consumer interest organizations to speak up.

Recent practical testing by the US National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), shows that lawmakers are considering and can make safety laws for sunroof. This makes car manufacturers or parts companies pay more attention to safety, sunroof must not merely be a function of beauty, entertainment on cars.

"We know that there are accidents and risks," said Cathy Chase, president of the promotion group for American safety standards for traffic (AHAS). "But that is a problem that can be solved."

Sunroof is one of the favorite equipment in consumer cars.

In NHTSA's 2011 statistics related to accidents that caused passengers to fly out of the sunroof at that time or not, there were about 300 deaths and 1,400 injuries per year, calculated during 1997-2008. . While reporting in 2016, statistics from 2002-2012, about 230 people died and the number of casualties each year was 500.

"Lawmakers should update data and take a closer look at sunroof safety standards , " said Jason Levine, executive director of the US Car Safety Center (CAS). While Cathy Chase thinks that the sunroof is getting bigger, the number of casualties will not stop.

In fact, sunroof is one of consumer favorite equipment and is often optional. Customers pay more for this equipment but are less concerned about safety. Besides, car manufacturers increase the amount of cars equipped with sunroof, even the size increases.

According to WardsAuto, about 7 million cars (40%) of 2017 light cars and light trucks sold in the US are equipped with sunroof. Compared to 2011 model cars, the number of products with sunroof increased by 33%.

Regarding the type of glass used for sunroof equipment, the current car manufacturers mainly use toughened glass instead of laminated glass because of the lower price despite the ability to withstand the force is not as high."Seatbelt is the most important factor to help limit the situation of getting out of the car through the sunroof. But in some particularly serious accidents, it cannot keep passengers inside the car , " Stephen Batzer, a technical and legal consultant in Michigan, said.

Airbags in sunroof are being developed by a spare parts supplier.

Before the tightening of safety laws for sunroof equipment came into practice, a solution was introduced to protect people in cars. Hyundai Mobis, a supplier of parts to Hyundai and Kia, said it soon provided the first sunroof airbag equipped car.

Hyundai Mobis airbag is able to protect the occupants in the car when the sunroof is closed or open. Choon Kee Hwang, a spokesman for the company, said the new airbags in the sunroof position could appear in the market in the next one or two years.