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Safety Takes a Back Seat When Shopping for a New Car    

12 January 2001

Insurance Company Survey Uncovers New Car Buying Attitudes
    MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio - In what may be the ultimate example of style over 
substance, a new survey by Progressive Insurance finds that people place a premium 
on the look and the amenities offered in a new car rather than its safety 
features.  The survey found that the top five considerations when purchasing a 
new car were overall purchase price, practicality (i.e. gas mileage, insurance, 
etc.), monthly payment amount, look/style of the car, followed by safety features 
(i.e. air bags, anti-lock brakes, etc.).

    The survey of consumers' new car buying attitudes on progressive.com found
that 47 percent of respondents think that the color of the car was more
important than side air bags in their decision to purchase a new car while
22 percent of respondents said that a CD player was more important than anti-
lock brakes in their new car purchase decision.

    Other interesting findings:  24 percent of respondents said that leather
seats were more important than four-wheel drive in their decision to purchase
a new car, while respondents with children were nearly twice as likely to say
that the monthly payment amount for a new car was more important than its
safety features.  Safety continued to take a back seat when asked how driving
behavior would change after purchasing a new car. Three times more respondents
said they would give up eating and drinking when driving a new car than those
who would curtail speeding or tailgating.

    The survey also found that 27 percent of respondents think that auto
insurance premiums do not vary significantly by vehicle type, and 19 percent
said that their premium would be the same regardless of their insurer.  In
fact, auto insurance rates vary widely depending on vehicle and insurance
company.  The average difference between the highest and lowest premium
available to consumers in Detroit for the identical policy offered from
different insurance companies is $679 every six months. And, vehicles with
more safety features often receive lower auto insurance rates.

    "While consumers are kicking the tires or checking the price of the
leather package when shopping for a new car, they rarely take the time to
compare auto insurance premium," said Alex Ho, progressive.com Marketing
Manager.  "Some safety features can slightly increase the overall cost of a
new car, but this doesn't necessarily translate to higher premium rates.  In
fact, safer cars often have lower rates.  Since auto insurance rates vary
widely from company to company, it's important for consumers to shop around
and compare rates.  Who knows, they might save enough to pay for that CD
changer!"  

                                  Did You Know ...
               A Countrywide Survey By progressive.com Tells Us
                     How People Shop For New Vehicles ...

    Shades of Gray
    Forty-seven percent of respondents said that color was more important than
    side air bags in their decision to purchase a new car.

    Stopping Might Be Difficult, But It Plays Rockin' Tunes
    Twenty-two percent of respondents said that a CD player was more important
    than anti-lock brakes in their decision to purchase a new car.

    Leather Just Feels So Good
    Twenty-four percent of respondents said that leather seats were more
    important than four-wheel drive in their decision to purchase a new car.

    It May Not Have Air Bags But The Payments Are Cheap
    Surprisingly, respondents with children were nearly twice as likely to say
    that the monthly payment amount for a new car was more important than its
    safety features.

    It's Not What You Drive, But Rather How Fast You Go
    Men were three times more likely than women to report driving faster after
    having purchased a new car.

    Tire Recall?  What tire recall?
    Surprisingly, only six percent of respondents said their new car purchase
    decision would be affected by negative media coverage about a tire recall.

    Stay Away From The Speed Demons
    Respondents who had more than one accident in the past three years were
    six times more likely to drive faster after purchasing a new car.

    Who Needs Air Bags When You Can Get Leather Seats?
    Thirty-six percent of respondents with children reported the color of a
    new car as more important than whether the car had side air bags - and 21
    percent said that leather seats were more important than four wheel drive.

    It Might Not Be As Safe ...  But It's Practical
    People were two times more likely to rank practicality over safety as a
    primary consideration when purchasing a new car.

    Nobody Wants Crumbs In the Car
    When asked how their driving behavior would change after purchasing a new
    car, respondents were three times more likely to say they'd eat/drink less
    in a new car - compared to switching lanes, speeding or tailgating less.

    Men Are From Mars - But At Least They Value Safety More
    Men were more likely than women to report safety features as the primary
    consideration when purchasing a new car.

    We May Be Divorced, But At Least We Have A Cool Car
    The number one thing divorced respondents would want in a new car if price
    was not a concern was a car with sophistication and coolness - beating out
    safety features by ten percent.

    High Salary Doesn't Equal Big Spender
    Respondents making more than $75,000 a year were nearly twice as likely to
    be concerned about the purchase price of a car than respondents making
    less than $25,000 a year.

    My Insurance Won't Change That Much?
    Overall, 27 percent of respondents said that insurance coverage for a new
    car would be the same for all car types.  And 19 percent of respondents
    said that their auto insurance would be the same, regardless of their
    insurer.

    We Might Factor It In ... But We Just Renew
    Eighty-one percent of both men and women factor in the additional cost of
    insurance when purchasing/leasing a new vehicle, although 46 percent of
    men and women reported thinking that insurance rates will be the same
    regardless of the type of car and insurer.

    Top Five Considerations When Purchasing A New Car
    1.  Overall purchase price (25 percent)
    2.  Practicality (i.e. gas mileage, insurance, etc.) (22 percent)
    3.  Monthly payment amount (19 percent)
    4.  Look/style of the car (14 percent)
    5.  Safety features (i.e. air bags, anti-lock brakes, etc.) (10 percent)
    Other reasons (10 percent)

    Top Five Changes In Driving Behavior After Purchasing A New Car
    1.  Drive more carefully than before (23 percent)
    2.  Pay more attention to the road/other drivers (17 percent)
    3.  Avoid potentially dangerous situations (seven percent)
    4.  Drive faster because the car is new (two percent)
    5.  Drive slower than before (two percent)
    Those who would not change their driving (49 percent)