Improved Federal crash tests on the way
Ever notice how many auto ads include five-star crash test ratings? Currently, 97% of the cars on the US market score have crash tests scores of either four or five (out of five) stars. Furthermore, the government gives seperate ratings for front and side impacts -- so an automaker can advertise a car as getting five stars, even if that only applies to one of the two tests.
Starting with the 2010 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will give their crash test scoring system a much needed update. A single star rating will encompass front-impact, side-impact and rollover tests, including a new one that simulates the car getting flung sideways into a tree.
When it comes to crash tests, I'm still a fan of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) tests. IIHS uses an offset deformable barrier test. To translate that to English, rather than simulate a car ramming straight into a fixed barrier -- as done in the NHTSA tests -- IIHS crashes the car into a deformable barrier that crumples in the way another car would. And rather than crash the car straight into the barrier, the crash occurs off-center, concentrating the crash forces on one side of the car. Obviously, it's impossible to predict what every real-world crash will be like, but I think the IIHS' test is more representative of a real-world crash. NHTSA does plan to revamp their frontal crash tests, but I have not heard anything about them switching to an offset deformable barrier. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Ford Motor Co.
Why do most cars get 4 or 5 stars? Because cars today are very safe. With gas over $4 a gallon I think it is time we have a test that shows how much damage these SUV’s do to normal cars in an accident. If it were not for everybody wanting to drive a Hummer we could reduce the amount of safety material in our cars and thus save weight and fuel.