It looks like we’ll have to wait until October for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new vehicle roof crush standard, after rumors of a delay have proven true.

Consumer Affairs reports this afternoon that the Department of Transportation informed Congress of the delay with hours to spare before the deadline.

Of course, a delay doesn’t signify a victory for consumer and safety advocates. But Transportation Secretary Mary Peters’ letter to the heads of several Congressional committees suggests the agency is starting to get the message about the problems with its current standard:

“Because of the number of new comments we received and the additional analyses that are required, additional time is now needed to complete the final rule. We will issue a final rule by October, 2008.”

Let’s hope the next three months are productive ones for NHTSA.