Small cars test poorly for side impact
Recently the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested 13 small cars for safety in a side impact crash. Among the lowest were Ford's Focus, Volkswagen's New beetle, Kia's Spectra, and Hyundai's Elantra. They, along with seven other vehicles, all received a rating of "poor" which is the lowest possible rating the institute has.
The bar has been raised for side impact safety in smaller vehicles due to the rise number of lager vehicles on the road particularly S.U.V.'s. The test conducted by the institute simulated the impact of a larger vehicle on each of the smaller vehicles at a speed of 31 mph.
What exactly is "poor"? It means, high chance of serious injury in a similar crash!
Doge Neon was the worst tested.
General Motors Cobalt and Toyota's Corolla tested higher in models tested with side impact airbags, but received a rating of "poor" in models tested without.
You may at this time be asking why aren't these cars being made safer. It is because we the consumers have not demanded this of the manufacturers. Buyers of smaller vehicles tend, for the most part, to be motivated by the cost of the vehicle. The manufacturers have eliminated safety features commonly found in lager vehicles because the consumer is not looking for, or does not expect to find them, in these smaller vehicles.
As well as making smaller cars safer manufacturers should be looking at ways to reduce the damage cause buy S.U.V.'s and other larger vehicles when they have an impact with a smaller vehicle.
The bar has been raised for side impact safety in smaller vehicles due to the rise number of lager vehicles on the road particularly S.U.V.'s. The test conducted by the institute simulated the impact of a larger vehicle on each of the smaller vehicles at a speed of 31 mph.
What exactly is "poor"? It means, high chance of serious injury in a similar crash!
General Motors Cobalt and Toyota's Corolla tested higher in models tested with side impact airbags, but received a rating of "poor" in models tested without.
You may at this time be asking why aren't these cars being made safer. It is because we the consumers have not demanded this of the manufacturers. Buyers of smaller vehicles tend, for the most part, to be motivated by the cost of the vehicle. The manufacturers have eliminated safety features commonly found in lager vehicles because the consumer is not looking for, or does not expect to find them, in these smaller vehicles.
As well as making smaller cars safer manufacturers should be looking at ways to reduce the damage cause buy S.U.V.'s and other larger vehicles when they have an impact with a smaller vehicle.
<< Home