Automobile Safety Primer- Seatbelts, Child Safety Seats Airbags and More
- Crashworthiness: Crashworthiness, a term which refers to how well vehicles withstand different types of crashes, varies by category of vehicle as well as by make, model and year. Two groups conduct tests to determine crashworthiness—the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which is an insurance-funded organization, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The IIHS conducts four types of tests on a large variety of vehicles: Low speed crash tests, rear crash protection tests, side impact crash tests and 40-mph frontal crash offset tests. NHTSA conducts two tests that are similar to the IIHS’s frontal crash and side crash tests. NHTSA also publishes rollover safety ratings by make and model year, and tire ratings by brand. The IIHS vehicle ratings can be found on the Internet at http://www.highwaysafety.org;
NHTSA test results can be found at http://www.safercar.gov
- Bumpers: In March 2007, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) released the results of research using new bumper tests. Four new tests
assess over and underride, which occur when vehicle bumpers slide over and
under each other because they don’t line up. These collisions produce some
of the most costly low-speed crash damage. The new tests can better match
the damage that occurs in real-world collisions. The results show that of
17 midsize cars, only three withstood the four tests with $1,500 or less in
repair costs in each test. Some vehicles had over $4,500 in damage in only
one of the tests, and two cars sustained over $9,000 in total damage. In addition,
bumpers kept damage away from headlights, hoods and other expensive parts
in only two of the 68 tests the IIHS conducted.The IIHS released bumper test results of 11 luxury cars in August 2007. The worst performer sustained almost $14,000 in damage in the four tests, while the best sustained about $5,000. Only three cars experienced less than $6,000 in damage, while four would cost more than $10,000 to fix after the crashes. The IIHS says that besides the problems of bumper mismatch on these cars, the bars under the bumper covers which are supposed to absorb crash energy are not effective. Another major factor driving the high repair costs is the price of replacement parts. The IIHS says that this is especially true for luxury cars, which are expensive not only to purchase but also to repair.
- Lives Saved by Safety DevicesAirbags: Airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes. NHTSA estimates that by 2006, more than 177 million passenger vehicles were equipped with airbags, including 162 million with dual airbags. NHTSA says that airbags saved 2,796 lives in 2006. From 1987 to 2006, 22,466 lives were saved by the devices. Airbags, combined with seat belts, are the most effective safety protection available for passenger vehicles. Seat belts alone reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent. The fatality-reducing effectiveness for air bags is 14 percent when no seat belt is used and 11 percent when a seat belt is used in conjunction with air bags. Side airbags that protect the head, chest and abdomen reduce driver deaths by an estimated 37 percent, according to the IIHS. Side airbags without head protection, which protect only the chest and abdomen, are less effective but still reduce deaths by about 26 percent, according to a 2006 study. Head-protecting side airbags reduce driver deaths when cars are struck by SUVs and light trucks, probably because when cars are struck in the side by these higher riding vehicles, heads are more vulnerable.Seat Belts: Among passenger vehicle occupants over the age of four, seat belts saved an estimated 15,383 lives in 2006. Seat belts are effective in protecting occupants from ejection, one of the most injurious results of a crash, according to NHTSA. In fatal crashes in 2006, 75 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who were totally ejected from the vehicle were killed. Only 1 percent of occupants reported to have been using restraints were total ejected, compared with 31 percent of unrestrained occupants. Seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For light truck occupants, safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.Child Safety Seats: NHTSA says that in 2006 the lives of an estimated 425 children under the age of five were saved by restraints—392 of them by child safety seats alone. If all children under the age of five had been placed in child safety seats in 2006, another 196 lives could have been saved. From 1975 through 2006, NHTSA estimates that 8,325 lives were saved by restraints (child safety seats or adult seat-belts).Motorcycle Helmets: Helmets saved 1,648 lives in 2006, according to NHTSA, and could have saved an additional 752 if all motorcyclists had worn helmets. Helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists.Electronic Stability Control: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require all vehicles for the model year 2012 to have electronic stability control (ESC). ESC was designed to help prevent rollovers and other types of crashes by controlling brakes and engine power. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that ESC would save 10,000 lives each year if all vehicles had the system. By 2009, 55 percent of all vehicles must have ESC.
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