The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

IIHS: Redesigned Vehicles Boost Safety


PHOTO
CLICK HERE For Full Report

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2007; Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co. redesigned the best-selling vehicle in the United States, the F-150 pickup, and cut its death rate in half, a leading safety group said in a study set for release on Thursday.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found in a study of fatalities between 2002-05 that design changes -- especially in sport utility vehicles -- contributed to a 30 percent drop in overall fatality rates when compared to the mid-1990s.

More than 40,000 people are still killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents, government statistics show. But declining rates, especially in certain vehicle classes that have had questionable ratings in crash and rollover tests, is encouraging, safety groups agree.

The rate for vehicles tested between 1990 and 1994 was 110 per million vehicles, compared to 79 now.

The 2001 F-150 was one of the worst performers in a certain front crash test for its class. But crashworthiness improved when the company made the occupant compartment better able to withstand impact forces, the insurance group said.

The group noted a sharp decline in death rates when it tested the redesigned 2004 model. The old F-150 recorded 118 deaths per million vehicles during the survey period, compared with 58 for the updated version.

Even though the research cited an improvement at Ford, the company dismissed the conclusion about the F-150 and the survey's overall findings. Ford, in addition, would not discuss any changes made to the F-150.

"We don't believe the study provides a complete and accurate reflection of relative vehicle safety performance," Ford said in a statement.

Ford said the insurance institute did not consider such factors as seat belt use, alcohol consumption and driving experience -- all important factors in auto fatalities cited by federal safety officials.

Backed by big insurance companies, the safety group analyzes crash tests and fatality rates to pressure automakers to improve their vehicles.

Russ Rader, a spokesman for the insurance institute, noted design changes in sport utility vehicles have made them safer. SUVs have been sharply criticized by safety groups in recent years because of rollover risk.

But manufacturers have addressed that issue by making SUVs wider and lower and equipping them with technology to help prevent rollover, especially in single-vehicle crashes.

The insurance group's survey included seven SUV models in its list of vehicles with the lowest fatality rates -- fewer than 20 driver deaths per million vehicles. All are made by Japanese or European manufacturers.

The Chevrolet Blazer two-door midsized SUV made by General Motors Corp. had the highest fatality rate of any vehicle in the study group -- 232 per million vehicles. More than half were rollovers. The Chevy Astro minivan had the lowest rate of any vehicle with seven deaths.

As in previous studies, smaller, faster "sports cars" had high fatality rates while bigger sedans and SUVs generally had lower ones.