As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) promotes its new five-star safety ratings, automakers introduce new safety technologies, and law enforcement implements stricter monitoring measures, safety on our nation's roadways has become priority; however, the government, automobile manufacturers and law enforcement are not the only stakeholders in the safety campaign.
For decades, automobile insurers, through various organizations, which include the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), have also worked to reduce car crashes and prevent human losses on American roads. On January 19, 2010, the IIHS announced its most recent study involving side-impact collision protection, and the news is "good."
According to the NHTSA, 38,909 lives were lost as a result of motor vehicle accidents on American roads last year. The IIHS reports that for the year 2009 almost 30 percent were the result of side-impact crashes. Over the years, air bags, advanced bumper systems and seat belts have added to vehicle safety, but most of these innovations only help in head-on and rear-end collisions.
Developing protection for side-impact collisions has been more problematic for automakers, because structural modern designs do not offer sufficient crumple zones. While side-impact protection has been challenging, a majority of automobile manufacturers offer side air bags as standard options on their more modern makes.
In its recent report, the IIHS evaluated data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System/General Estimates System (NASS/GES) for the years 2000 to 2009. Considering factors that included vehicle structure and propensity for specific types of auto accident injuries - head, neck and spinal, torso, pelvis and legs - the IIHS analyzed 72 make/model/year combinations, and 43 of these combinations earned "good" side-crash ratings. The remaining 29 vehicle combinations earned marginal or lower ratings. In the case of crashes involving vehicles rated "good," those drivers were 70 percent more likely to survive left-sided crashes as compared with those in vehicles rated poor.
While the IIHS crash test can be distinguished from its NHTSA counterpart, the IIHS crash test revealed crucial information. While 72 percent of the 2010 model year passenger vehicles are equipped with side airbags, the tests proved that some designs are not as effective as others. Also, increased resistance in side structures would be highly beneficial to passenger safety.
Since 2003, the IIHS has analyzed the crashworthiness of motor vehicles. And over time, automobile makers have made, and consumers have demanded, safer vehicles. With side-impact crashes accounting for a significant percentage of highway deaths, the new IIHS data may result in more careful consideration of car and truck designs and safety technologies.
