Cars Without Side Air Bags Fail Safety Tests

June 2006

Upgrading your car with side air bags could dramatically decrease your risk of serious or fatal head injuries, according to test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The insurance institute began testing of vehicles for side-impact crashes in 2003. The cars were slammed on their left side at 31 m.p.h. by a barrier representing an SUV or pickup.

Cars with side air bags receiving good/acceptable ratings include:

• Chevrolet Impala
• Toyota Avalon
• Ford Five Hundred
• Mercury Montego
• Buick Lucerne
• Hyundai Azera

The Chrysler 300 and Buick LaCrosse received marginal ratings even with side air bags. The air bags protected the driver’s head, but not the torso where they most likely would have been injured.

Side-impact crashes do not happen as frequently as head-on collisions, but they result in more than half of driver deaths. About 10,000 people die each year from injuries sustained in side-impact accidents. Side air bags are standard on 40% of all 2006 models, but will be standard on all models by September 1, 2009.

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