The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a tougher standard to reduce the chance of vehicle fires following crashes. The proposal includes a more realistic rear-impact crash test at 50 miles per hour. Currently, the rear crash test involves a flat, rigid barrier at 30 miles per hour. The new test would use a deformable barrier, more representative of the front end of a vehicle. It would also increase the speed of the test to 50 miles per hour, and concentrate the crash on 70 percent of the vehicle. The NHTSA also plans to upgrade the side-impact fuel system integrity test. The proposed upgrade uses the deformable barrier rather than the flat, rigid one, and would increase the speed of the test from 20 miles per hour to 33.5. The safety agency estimates up to 7 million new vehicles would be affected by the proposal at a cost of $5 per vehicle. There are about 57 fatalities and 119 serious injuries per year in this vehicle population. The NHTSA estimates the benefits of this rule range from eight to 21 lives saved annually, once all vehicles on the road meet the new safety standards. The proposal would give manufacturers three years’ lead time to meet the new rear impact requirements and one year to comply with the side-impact requirements. It would apply to passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, and buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds.