The Explorer came in below the Bronco II, which scored 0.90 and had been heavily criticized as being rollover-prone. The data were compared to accident data from Michigan, which was used as the sample state to study the accuracy of the test, Tyson said. Eighty percent of the people who died in single-vehicle rollovers were not using a safety belt, and 63 percent were ejected from the vehicle. FARS shows that 53 percent of fatalities in single-vehicle crashes involved rollovers. Those within the auto industry agreed that tilt-table performance is a narrow measure of stability, saying there are about two dozen other tests that can be done in labs or on a track.
Automakers prefer tests that put the vehicle in motion.
The test more accurately shows how the vehicle would behave in an off-road situation, on the steep slope of a hill, for example. But automakers have lobbied against such tests for years, consumer safety advocates said, rejecting rollover standards. So you don't get unstable vehicles to begin with. 2001 Knight Ridder Inc. and may not be republished without permission.