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AAMA: Automakers React to Vehicle Compatibility Study

10 February 1998

AAMA: Automakers React to Vehicle Compatibility Study

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- The following statement was released by
the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) in response to the
report, "Crash Compatibility," from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS):

    The IIHS report reemphasizes what has long been known -- that larger,
heavier vehicles are safer in collisions with smaller, lighter vehicles.  The
report also emphasizes that the first priority of safety research and
development should be to make occupants as safe as possible.
    "Safety is not a static business.  America's Car Companies are always
looking for ways to help improve the safety of all occupants of their
vehicles," noted Andrew H. Card, Jr., AAMA President & CEO.
    The IIHS report puts into perspective the impact of light trucks on
overall vehicle safety.  For example, IIHS found that just 4 percent of
passenger car occupant fatalities are the result of collisions with sport
utility vehicles.
    America's Car Companies have participated in national and international
research programs to address the issue of compatibility for several years, but
much more must be known about the factors of vehicle compatibility, including
vehicle weight, stiffness and geometry, before efforts to redesign vehicles
are undertaken.  As IIHS notes, redesign of the vehicles may not be possible
without drastically changing their form and function.
    And, IIHS notes, "Compatibility improvements, even though they're
important, are not panaceas."
    Finally, the IIHS study only looked at accident data involving 1990-95
model year vehicles.  These data may be outdated.  Many improvements in safety
implemented in recent years may not be fully reflected in the data, including
a new side impact protection standard which was phased in beginning in model
year 1994.  In addition, dual air bags are now standard in all cars and most
trucks, and a new head injury standard takes effect beginning with the 1999
model year.
    Improvements in driver behavior, including increased use of safety belts,
remain the greatest opportunity to reduce highway deaths.
    AAMA is the trade association whose members are Chrysler Corporation
, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation
.  The AAMA site on the World Wide Web can be reached at
http://www.aama.com.

SOURCE  American Automobile Manufacturers Association