Feb. 15, 2019—Ford Motor Co., has designed the 2020 Ford Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility with 160 pounds of extra steel, reported the Detroit Free Press.
While all vehicles on the road must meet a federal impact safety standard of 50 mph, the Police Interceptor is the only SUV in the world that claims to provide rear-impact protection for police at up to 75 mph, based on testing at Ford's crash barrier facility in Dearborn, Mich.
Ford has affixed a steel X-shaped metal brace to the floor of the police SUV since its first launch in 2013, but the 2020 design also includes a ladder-like steel safety frame that's bigger and stronger than anything used before. The steel “X” transfers energy to both sides of the Explorer-based Interceptor.
Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Mike Shaw has been nearly hit by speeding vehicles four times, twice while outside his car. He says in the report that he knows a trooper who has been hit 10 times, thus illustrating the need for such increased vehicle protection.
