12 of 15 midsize cars fail new side-impact test (with a pickup or SUV)

USA Today ^ | 4/18/2004

[traumer]

Most midsize family sedans failed a new test by the insurance industry designed to see how well the cars would stand up to a side-impact crash with a pickup or SUV.

Safety experts are concerned about the side impact of a larger pickup or SUV crashes into midsize cars.

Twelve of fifteen sedans failed the new test, which involves a barrier shaped like the front end of an SUV "T-boning" the side of the vehicle at a 90-degree angle going 31 miles per hour.

The test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety comes at a time when federal regulators are developing a side-impact test similar to IIHS', and the auto industry, under pressure, has agreed to design changes for pickups and SUVs that should make them less lethal in crashes with cars by 2008.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, equipped with optional head- and torso-protecting air bags, were the only vehicles to earn "good" ratings, which means occupants would likely not suffer serious injuries. The Chevy Malibu, tested with optional head protection air bags, scored "acceptable," because its air bag system would likely result in torso injury, though not serious head injury.

Twelve models, including the Accord, Camry and Malibu without their optional air bags, scored "poor." Three of the models that failed — the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Saturn LS — failed despite having side air bags.

Those results indicate that even side-impact and head-curtain air bags won't always protect people in midsize cars hit at modest speed by a big pickup or sport-utility vehicle.

The air bag combination standard in the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima protected the head, but not the torso, IIHS says.

The Saturn's side-curtain head air bag didn't come down far enough to protect the crash test dummies, IIHS says.

Results of the IIHS crash tests, to be announced today, used crash-test dummies the size of a 12-year-old, to predict injury to children and short adults.

GM spokesman Jim Schell says the newer-design Malibu outperforming the older-design Saturn shows that GM is improving. GM plans to have head-protection air bags in all vehicles by 2009.

IIHS President Brian O'Neill says he hopes the new side-impact tests drive automakers to make improvements to auto designs to improve side-impact safety similar to the way IIHS' front-crash tests have helped drive safety improvements.

The driver death rate in side crashes had declined 24% in 20 years, but the rate in front crashes has dropped more: 52%, IIHS says.

[traumer]

This article is as objective as SUVs impacted by a semi-truck...

[cksharks]

Does it pass at 30mph?

[KarlInOhio]

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds all current vehicles fail on the M-1 tank side-top-other side and the front-top-back impact tests.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm suspecting that all pedestrians fail the bicycle test. Quick, lets ban them too.

It's quite a stretch for me to worry about SUVs when the freeway is flooded with semi-trailer rigs all the time.

Someone has way too much time on their hands. Get a real job.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Everyone knows a deliberate driver side hit is immediate disqualification...Oh thats only in demolition derby..my bad..

http:www.crownnracing.com

Later

MD

[holyscroller]

I was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler double gasoline tanker who pulled into my lane (going 70 mph), and credit my Subaru Legacy station wagon with saving my life. The car was totaled, but all I got was a broken arm, and a few broken ribs. Most of my injuries came from the seatbelt. If you have to be in an accident, do it in a Subaru. In the case of a front end collision, the engine is designed to break away and slide under the car instead of coming back into your lap.

[holyscroller]

I was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler double gasoline tanker who pulled into my lane (going 70 mph), and credit my Subaru Legacy station wagon with saving my life. The car was totaled, but all I got was a broken arm, and a few broken ribs. Most of my injuries came from the seatbelt. If you have to be in an accident, do it in a Subaru. In the case of a front end collision, the engine is designed to break away and slide under the car instead of coming back into your lap.

[traumer]

scaring sheeple into buying more SUVs..

[Blood of Tyrants]

Incorrect. The test was SUPPOSED to be a mid-sized sedan impacted by an SUV. However instead of using a REAL SUV to do the impacting, they used a sled that was basically a 4000 lb sledge hammer traveling 30 mph. The damage to the sled was mostly cosmetic because the sled had absolutely zero give.

It was on NBC last night and I caught just a few minutes of it. Hardly a realistic test but not a word of questioning the realism from NBC.

[cajun-jack]

As a truckdriver, I can promise you that you don't worry about us half as much as we worry about you.

I see people pass me every day yakking on cell phones, putting on makeup, flipping thru a cd album to find their favorite tunes, reading a book or work notes or a newspaper and even typing on a laptop while going 50-70+ mph.

[Tribune7]

Well, the experts have spoken. Don't drive small cars.

[MD_Willington_1976]

We have a good-ol-Subaru, that thing weighs more than my mini-pickup fully loaded...built like a 4x4 brick, very solid. Just hit 210,000 miles and it keeps on going

[Stonewall Jackson]

I was involved in a three-car wreck a few months ago with a Lincoln Towncar and a Cadillac Fleetwood. My Explorer was the only vehicle that drove away from the accident.

[wingster]

Come on! You guys aren't taking this seriously.

I think FR should support sensitivity training for SUVs!

[traumer]

I din't say (or meant) anything bad about truckdrivers...

I was just pointing at apples and oranges shown in the article.

[Arpege92]

"This article is as objective as SUV's impacted by a semi-truck..."

I hope you are right....I just bought a Sonata three months ago.

[traumer]

EXPERTS at NBC...

[Iron Matron]

scaring sheeple into buying more SUVs


LOL! Why not? SUV's are safer than Yugos. Those sheeple stuck on widdle play-cars need to get a life and an SUV!

[Dr. Frank fan]

It's shocking just shocking that it's dangerous to be in a car and get hit at full speed from the side by another, larger car.

Next thing y'know they'll be saying that it's unsafe to be inside a car that has a boulder, meteor or small asteroid fall onto it from above. /sarcasm

I mean, ok I guess such experiments are valuable in that they do bring out the added safety that comes with these side airbag things, and I will say that I am a bit surprised by that. (From what I've seen of side airbags on TV, they look like they're designed to snap peoples' necks.) I guess what bothers me about stories like this is that, even though there's really nothing whatsoever surprising about the fact that getting smashed from the side is dangerous, they create the impression (and seem designed to create the impression) that Safety During A Side Collision is somehow just something that we should all expect as a right. In other words, before you know it people will be clamoring/regulating for side airbags to be Standard on all cars. This is the kind of thing that keeps the costs of cars skyhigh. Surely I'd like side airbags as much as the next guy if I can afford it, but to create an expectation of perfect safety for all cars in all situations seems to serve no useful purpose other than causing new cars to be out of the price range of many people.

Indeed sometimes I get the impression that the preceding IS the real purpose....

[The Great RJ]

Let's see a 6,000 lb Ford Explorer hits a 3,000 Suzuki in a side impact and they are SURPRISED that the smaller car doesn't do well. Apparently these experts have never taken a basic course in physics. Of course the government reaction will be to ban the larger vehicles so they don't run into the smallers ones.