Autos May Be Getting Safer
May 6, 2008
Automobiles may be getting safer and that could lead to lower automobile insurance premiums for some. Recent studies have shown that frontal and side impact crashes are seeing the best improvements in safety. Rear impacts remain a significant problem.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an auto safety lab operated by a consortium of car insurance companies, recently released its latest crash test results for midsize cars. IIHS crash tests are considered much harder to pass than government crash tests. Most of the cars tested did well in frontal and side crashes.
In a press release, IIHS vice president David Zuby said: “The side impact results represent a huge change from just four years ago, when we tested 10 midsize moderately priced cars, and all 10 were rated poor in their standard configurations without side airbags.”
He went on to say: “Side airbags are standard in every one of the seven midsize cars we tested this time around. Auto manufacturers have been moving quickly to make side airbags standard, even on lower priced models.”
It was not all good news. The rear crash test results were not as impressive. Four cars were rated only “marginal” for rear-impact protection, and the Mitsubishi Galant earned the lowest possible rating of “poor”.
According to Consumer Reports: “A rear-end crash occurs every 17 seconds in the U.S. But a surprising number of vehicles offer inadequate protection from the whiplash injuries that can result.”
Even so, as safety becomes more readily available in more cars, the prospect of lower auto insurance premiums is a hopeful one.