2006 NHTSA Rollover Ratings Improve
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), '06 model-year pickups and SUVs showed a marked improvement in rollover rankings compared to 2005. A five-star rating system is used to rank the vehicles on likelihood of a rollover in a single-vehicle crash. The top score is five stars, which represents a rollover risk of less than 10 percent. For the testing completed on '06 model-year pickups and SUVs, 42 percent of those rated earned four stars, as opposed to 34 percent in 2005. The improved scores are said to be largely due to the great number of vehicles employing electronic stability control (ESC) systems as standard equipment. Sixty-nine percent of the vehicles tested were equipped with ESC, up from 43 percent in 2005.
Of the 4x4 pickups tested, the Honda Ridgeline received the top ranking and was followed by the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tundra. All of these vehicles received four stars. Honda also topped the list of 4x4 SUVs, with the Honda Pilot earning four stars and a 15-percent chance of rollover. Other 4x4 SUVs that received four stars include: the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevrolet Trail Blazer EXT, and Ford Expedition. For a complete list of 2006 vehicle rollover results, check out: www.safercar.gov.
ORM Hall of Fame Inducts New Members
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) voting committee recently announced that five new members will be inducted to its Class of 2006. Three of the individuals are part of the "Competition: Off-Road Racing" category and include Sal Fish, president and CEO of SCORE International; Macey L. "Corky" McMillin, a legendary off-road champion being inducted posthumously; and Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, who is one the winningest off-road drivers in history. The remaining two will be inducted under the "Pioneer: Advocate" category and include Clark Collins, cofounder of the BlueRibbon Coalition; and Bob Ham, cofounder of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA) and creator of the Off-Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition.
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is located in Gallery Four at the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada. The voting committee is made up of 17 previous inductees and representatives from the four-wheeling community, off-road racing organizations, rally racing sanctioning groups, and motorcycle manufacturing and off-road aftermarket industries. The induction ceremony will be held on site in Reno on August 26, 2006. For more information, check out: www.ormhof.org.