"The mission of ThinkFirst Missouri is to prevent traumatic injuries through the education of individuals, community leaders and the creators of public policy. The programs of ThinkFirst strive to educate people, especially high-risk young people, about their vulnerability to brain and spinal cord injury, common causes of these injuries, and how to prevent them."
Taken directly from the ThinkFirst Website.
Visit this site to read the stories of people who have been injured in automobile accidents.
Earles Glass
1204 South Brundidge Street
Troy, Alabama 36081
(334) 566-4343
1-800-628-9799
The number one killer of children of any age 4--34 is an automobile accident .
In 2002, 40 % of all teenagers who died were killed in an auto accident. 29 % of these deaths were due to being ejected [ thrown out ] the glazing.
Studies by the NHTSA have shown death or serious injury to be much more likely if ejection occurs. For this reason, the NHTSA mandated the [HPR ] high penetration resistant windshield. Once made of cellulose, the inner layer of an [OEM ] original equipment manufacture windshield is now made of polyvinyl butyral. It is designed to stretch upon impact and hold the person inside the car. The glass is designed to peel away from the vinyl to minimize lacerations. The airbag uses the windshield to support it as a backstop if deployed in an accident. There is no backboard if the entire windshield pops out. Because of the tremendous pressure placed on a windshield when impacted by both the airbag and the vehicle occupant or in a rollover accident, the NHTSA has mandated changes in windshield retention materials.
Some shops have chosen to ignore the law and still use only butyl, or they may reinforce the butyl with a thin bead of urethane which still doesn't meet FMVSS 212, 208, 219. or 216.
Today's urethanes have more than 1000 lbs. tensile strength. Butyl has only about 8lbs tensile strength. Urethane is Not generic . One chemical composition Can NOT be used on just any vehicle. Chemicals from one system cannot be mixed with chemicals from another system . There are chemically specific primers and rust inhibitors which must be used precisely as designed in a urethane system. These are expensive. They have a short shelf life. Once opened they must be used in a very short time or be disposed of.
I am afraid this is where more shops cut corners. We work on many water leaks where the installer has used a cheap grade of urethane but not the whole system and either the glass is not bonded to the urethane or the urethane is not bonded to the car , usually the latter. All new vehicles are crash tested with an OEM Windshield firmly bonded to the car. Engineers designed this vehicle with the windshield playing a major part of the SRS [Safety Restraint System ]. It Must Strengthen and Reinforce the passenger cabin of the vehicle. The OEM Windshield Glass itself Must Pass FMVSS 205. Many New vehicles Barely Pass Roof Crush test . They Would Not Without the Windshield ,especially SUVs and some extended cab pickups.
In 1982 General Motors did a study of rollover occupant ejection and concluded back then that a vehicle lost about 1/3 of its roof strength if the windshield bond came loose. Ford Motor Co. also did some test with unsatisfactory results.
Some estimate An OEM Windshield----Properly Installed ---can provide up to 45 % of the cabin strength of a vehicle in a frontal collision and up to 60 % in a rollover
U.S.
|
14.7 %
|
Alabama
|
24.8 %
|
Crenshaw County
|
29.14 %
|
Pike County
|
37.11%
|
Barbour County
|
45.75 %
|
Bullock County
|
72.37 %
|
***Fatality rate per 100,00 people
Automobile Accident Fatality Rates
Safety and News
Continued....
Facts
24,000 people are catastrophically injured each year in the U.S. in rollover accidents.
10,000 people die each year in the U.S. in rollover accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule for roof strength will only save 13-44 of the 10,000 that die annually in rollover related accidents.
From the People Safe in Rollovers website
"Each year, more than 40,000 Americans die on the nation's highways, making automobile crashes one of the leading causes of death. But the carnage on our highways could be dramatically reduced by stronger standards for vehicle safety and more sensible regulation of the trucking industry.
The Auto Safety Group has been a part of Public Citizen since 1971. We work to improve highway safety by lobbying Congress to pass critical legislation, monitoring the Department of Transportation to be sure it carries out the will of Congress, conducting public awareness campaigns on critical issues, and participating in lawsuits to force government action when necessary."
Taken directly from the Public Citizen Website
