New IRC Study Shows Safety Overwhelming Concern of Auto Consumers

9 December 1999
New IRC Study Shows Safety Overwhelming Concern of Auto Consumers
    Malvern, Pa., Dec. 8 -- In the latest public attitude survey
conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), nearly eight in ten
respondents who purchased or leased autos in the past three years rated
vehicle safety as important to their purchase decisions.  Sixty-eight percent
of auto consumers sought at least one type of vehicle safety information
before making their selections.
    More than half (54 percent) of recent auto consumers looked for
information about the specific vehicle safety features of prospective
vehicles, such as airbags or anti-lock brakes.  One in four sought information
on the manueverability or driveability of prospective vehicles, while 23
percent obtained crash test information.  Interestingly, consumers most often
sought safety information from car salespeople (37 percent).  Other sources of
vehicle safety information used by consumers included Consumer Reports (29
percent), newspaper reports and car magazines (18 percent), auto manufacturers
(17 percent), and friends (15 percent).
    Public attitudes on the safety of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were also
examined in this report.  Nearly half of all survey respondents reported that
they had seen or heard news stories about the performance of SUVs in
collisions.  The reported content of these stories most often centered on the
high risk of rollover accidents associated with SUVs and the extensive damage
that may be caused by SUVs in multiple car collisions.  However, public
opinion was mixed on whether SUVs provide more protection than large passenger
cars in single-vehicle accidents.
    Public indecision regarding SUV safety is one example of how, even when
information is available and relatively widespread, consumers can reach
different conclusions about vehicle safety.  "It is clear that consumers are
very concerned with buying safer cars," commented Elizabeth Sprinkel, Senior
Vice President of the Insurance Research Council, "but knowing which cars are
safer can be hard to judge."
    The results contained in IRC's recently released report, Public Attitude
Monitor 1999, Issue 4, were based on a survey conducted by Roper Starch
Worldwide.  The survey consisted of in-person interviews with 2,000 men and
women 18 years old and older conducted in June 1999.  Survey participants were
selected to be representative of the population of the continental U.S.
    For more detailed information on the study's methodology and findings,
contact Elizabeth Sprinkel by phone at 610-644-2212, ext. 7568; by fax at
610-640-5388; or by e-mail at irc@cpcuiia.org.  Or visit IRC's Web site at
http://www.ircweb.org .  Copies of the study are available at $10 each in the U.S.
($20 elsewhere) postpaid from the Insurance Research Council, 718 Providence
Rd., Malvern, Pa. 19355-0725. Phone: 610-644-2212, ext. 7569. Fax:
610-640-5388.