Crash tests reveal expensive damage

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - You may not know this, but bumpers on cars are designed to match up with each other in collisions. But a long-standing gap in federal regulations exempts suv's, minivans and trucks from the same rules. The results? Huge repair bills.

Video of a crash test obtained by Call 12 for Action shows what happens when a Ford Focus strikes a Ford Escape. At just 10 miles an hour, the damage to the focus was more than $5000!

The problem, according to Joe Nolan from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, sport utility vehicles don't share the same bumper rules and you end up paying the price.

"The bumpers on these vehicles are still unregulated and because of that they produce a lot of damage when they crash into a car." said Nolan.

Federal standards require that all car bumpers are 16 to 20 inches from the ground. They must be able to withstand a low impact crash without significant damage. SUV's, minivans and trucks are exempt from that law.

"We had almost $10,000 in damage when a Toyota Corolla struck a Toyota Rav 4" said Nolan.

If bumpers don't match up...They'll bypass each other when vehicles collide. The results? A crumpled mess to the smaller car. Even though the institute has asked the government to require bumpers on all vehicles to match up nothing has happened.

Regulators have said that requiring trucks and SUV's to have bumpers that meet the requirements that cars have to, would compromise their off road capacity. But the insurance institute for highway safety says very few suv's are used off road, instead, they're used to cart around families.