[KevinH1990]

htthttps://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/fmvss/214_Side_Impact_final_Aug_30_2007.pdfp://

It appears that NHTSA published an updated rule on side impact in August 2007. The rule gave manufacturers several years to implement the standard. I expect that most of the manufacturers incorporated the rule changes during the next design cycle of their vehicles and that the changes occurred over a 5 or 6-year period.

I haven't read the rule closely, but I doubt it dictates the height of doors. I also haven't ridden in a convertible that was newer than my 986 and I cannot say for sure that the door heights have changed. (I'm willing to take your word for it.) I expect that if the changes happened it was part of the effort to meet the new test standards contained in the rule.

My daughter was an EMT and she responded to several "T-bone" wrecks. At the time, she was an EMT I had a 96 Infiniti G20 that did not have side-impact airbags. I was treated to several stories about passengers in side impact wrecks who had airbags and walked away from the accident with minor injuries. She also told me about a high school student who was hit in a car without airbags who broke her jaw and lost most of her teeth. I eventually sold my G20 (which had 268,000 miles on it at the time) and bought a 2005 Mercedes C230 with side impact airbags and overall more substantial construction. I didn't want have my daughter tell me "I told you so" if I was ever in a side impact accident and lost all of my teeth.