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Feds Plan New Car Crash Tests

Female dummies to be used for the first time

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 8, 2008

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Federal regulators plan to revise the crash-test program they use to measure vehicle safety. New tests will measure crash and rollover results. A new roof crush standard that was supposed to have gone into effect July 1 has been delayed until October.

"Consumers will have better, more complete safety information about the vehicles they want to purchase," according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

The new tests will begin with the 2010 model year and will provide a rating system that includes crash and rollover test results, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Knowing how many horses a car engine has is important, but knowing how safe a car is before you even step into a dealership ought to be essential," Peters said.

The revised testing will include new frontal crash tests and a new side impact test to simulate wrapping a vehicle around a tree, according to NHTSA.

With just hours to spare before the July 1 deadline to improve the nation's vehicle roof crush standard, Peters informed Congress on June 30 that the new standard would be delayed until October 1.

Peters's letter followed months of protests by consumer advocates and some U.S. senators who felt that after 35 years without any substantial change, the new roof crush standard the agency planned to propose would not do enough to save consumers' lives.

Dummies included

In the new crash tests, the safety agency will for the first time include female crash dummies in the tests to measure how a crash impacts women and larger children. The test will also attempt to measure leg injuries that occur in crashes.

Peters said the new rating system will be based on "emerging advanced technologies" which will allow consumers to measure the benefits of specific crash avoidance technologies such as electronic stability control, lane departure warning systems and forward collision warning systems.

"In addition to providing important information to consumers, the ratings encourage vehicle manufacturers to continue to design vehicles that reach an even higher level of safety," said NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason.

Safety and government watchdogs have long called for an overhaul of the 30-year-old NHTSA program for rating vehicle safety. Safety advocates claim it is too easy for automakers to receive a top safety score from NHTSA.

IIHS tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which conducts its own vehicle safety tests, is regarded as the leading authority on vehicle safety and IIHS crash tests are regarded as more stringent than the current NHTSA tests.

IIHS rates vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests. The Institute also evaluates seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.

To score a top mark in a vehicle must win a rating of good in the three tests. Electronic stability control must be available on the vehicle.

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