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Taurus And Mercury Sable Earn Government's Top Safety Rating

16 September 1998

Ford Taurus And Mercury Sable Earn Government's Top Safety Rating - Five Stars

    DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 15 -_ The  1999 Ford Taurus and
Mercury Sable have earned the top safety scores -_ a double five-star rating
-_ in government frontal crash tests.
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded its top
rating for driver and passenger sides to both the sedan and wagon models.
Other Ford models with the double five star rating are the Ford Windstar and
Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis.
    Since its introduction, Taurus has remained one of America's favorite
family vehicles.  Taurus and Sable had combined sales of over 465,000 in the
United States in 1997.
    "Taurus and Sable have been our most popular family vehicles and we are
pleased that the government also has found them to be among the best in their
frontal crash test," said Bob Rewey, Ford Group Vice President for Marketing
and Sales.
    In the government's test, officially known as the New Car Assessment
Program (NCAP), vehicles are rated on the protection provided to occupants in
a frontal collision.  Five stars indicate the best crash protection for
vehicles of similar weight, while fewer stars indicate less relative
protection.  Nearly half of all vehicle occupant injuries occur in frontal
collisions.
    Ford designs all of its vehicles with the objective of reducing the risk
and severity of injury in an accident.  Ford safety engineers and experts use
the most advanced computer technology in the industry to ensure its vehicles
meet or exceed stringent crashworthiness standards.  Only vehicle designs that
effectively absorb impact energy and help provide occupant safety during
computer simulation are chosen for further testing and development.
    Ford incorporates an array of other very stringent safety testing in the
development of its vehicles, including frontal offset, side impact and rear
impact.  The company's internal criteria for acceptability often exceed
government regulations.