Why dont they put roll bars in cars on the market?

Question

Ive always wondered this, with all the technology they have today with cars why cant they do something so simple as putting a roll bar in it? There are many fatal car crashes a day and lots of them could be avoided with a simple roll bar... my boyfriend "enduro races" with means he participates in a 70 mph crash up derby... he rolled 9 times in one race, and didnt even have a scratch, and it was simple to reenforce the car! So why dont they do this to every car on the market, I mean seriously what harm would it to to apply a few steel bars here and there for everyones safety? And I know it isn't that expensive, weve done it for many races, and we actually reenforce our cars out of trampoline parts, they work wonders, so I know it's not a cost issue?

Answer 1

it is a cost issue.  the government has so many regulations on u.s automanufactorers that to some degree their hands are tied.  adding a roll cage also means testing and design, and added weight which means the standard weigh/gas milage needs to be changed.  plastic bumpers on cars and styrofoam reinforcements are not so much design choices, but necessary ways the manufacturers have reduced weight to keep government regulations.  the other thing is if the public was concerned enough to pay the extra cost, they would do it.  some cars have integral roll cages from the factory.

Answer 2

it is totally a cost issue and since the added crash protection is not required by the government it will not happe that is why there is an aftermarket for these parts. why dosen't everyone wear a helmet or a 5 point harness when they drive their street car? a helmet is only $100 or so that is inexpensive enough

Answer 3

There is no need for a roll cage in a street car. The roof, the pillars supporting it, the beams in the doors, the structure of the floor, they all are designed to support the weight of the car and disperse the energy of a crash around the passengers and protect the occupants. The entire passenger compartment of a modern car IS a roll cage. A separate roll cage would seriously diminish the interior volume of a car, and make getting in and out of the car extremely difficult. It is extraordinarily rare that a street car would roll nine times. Most crashes are front, rear, or side impact crashes, because unless you are doing something really idiotic, it is very difficult to roll a car at normal highway speed. Cars are built for the purpose they are intended for, they are crash tested for those conditions, and they meet certain standards. If it were determined that the speed limit should be 200 miles an hour instead of 65, perhaps the safety features would be different.  

Answer 4

often they have to cut the top off of a vehicle to extract people, with roll bars, it just takes a whole longer to extract people out, time that could result in a life. these things must be done in side crashes where door are jammed and the roll bars do not make the situation safer. great idea, but haven't had too many pros to start a trend...

Answer 5

You're looking at a combination of cost (save a buck a car and you've saved millions of dollars over the space of a year), weight (less weight = higher gas milage) and styling (who wants a thick steel bar running through their sedan?).  None of these are really satisfying, but couple that with the fact that a properly designed pillar will hold up to most simple flips and you have car companies avoiding putting in roll bars.

Answer 6

Cost and room would be the biggest factors but cars already come with anti-roll tech on them and by 2010 or 2012 it will be a standard feature.......