Automakers back single crash rating

Automakers on Wednesday offered support for a Bush administration proposal to overhaul the government's crash test program for new vehicles and create a single safety ranking.

The major problem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration program is that nearly all vehicles pass current tests, making it difficult for consumers to differentiate between vehicles. NHTSA wants to toughen the voluntary standards, some of which haven't been changed significantly since the program's creation in 1979, as well as reduce three crash ratings to one.

At a public hearing Wednesday in Washington to hear experts' comments on the program, General Motors Corp., Honda and Toyota all endorsed the effort to give vehicles a single overall ranking for performance during simulated frontal, side and rollover crashes.

The Detroit News

Please eliminate the ridiculous and inaccurate rollover rating.