The Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry equipped with airbags that feature head protection were the only cars that posted good safety scores in landmark tests that simulated a sport utility vehicle or pickup slamming into the side of a sedan, an insurance group said, according to Reuters.
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But the Accord and Camry joined the eight other mid-size cars in the group in posting poor side-impact ratings when additional tests did not include the enhanced airbag protection, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reportedly said in a new report.
Only the Accord, Camry and the Chevrolet Malibu were tested with and without side airbags with head protection – the rest of the group of 10 was a mix of cars with head-protecting airbags or no airbags, the news agency said, noting that the Malibu fell one notch below the Accord and the Camry in the tests with side airbags, earning an acceptable rating.
Reuters said virtually all of the vehicles earned mediocre or poor ratings for structural design in side-impact crashes and only the Mitsubishi Galant, which was tested without airbags and posted a low overall score, earned good marks for structural safety.
“Our crash test results confirm what the institute found is happening in real world crashes – side airbags designed to protect people’s heads can prevent very serious head injuries,” Brian O’Neill, the group’s president, told Reuters.
The report noted that about 9,600 people were killed in side-impact crashes in 2002, according to the latest statistics provided by the institute, which is funded by the insurance industry and has the attention of vehicle manufacturers and regulators.
Reuters said that industry figures show approximately half of all 2004 model vehicles offered side airbags and head protection as standard or optional equipment while ehanced systems include side-curtain airbags, which drop from the vehicle’s roof along the windows and door frames to protect a driver’s head and neck area.
The news agency added that the overall shortcoming of the mid-size class to adequately protect drivers and passengers in the first insurance institute side-impact tests between cars and light trucks reinforces controversial assessments that crashes between cars and larger sport utility vehicles and trucks on US roads can pose serious safety dangers.
Government safety tests do not simulate SUVs or pickups ramming into the sides of cars and consumer and safety advocates regularly point out that these vehicles have stiffer fronts and ride higher than the protective structural side components of a mid-size or compact car, Reuters noted.
