Most small car designs earned poor ratings in side-impact crash tests recently conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The test represented what happens when a passenger vehicle is struck in the side by a pickup truck or SUV.

“These side-impact results are similar to the results in 1997, when the institute first rated small cars in the frontal offset crash test,” said Adrian Lund, chief operating officer for the IIHS. “Back then, no small car earned a good frontal crash test rating. Now, almost every small car earns a good rating in the frontal test. As manufacturers redesign their vehicles, we expect that small cars will get better in the side-impact test too.”

Only the Chevrolet Cobalt and Toyota Corolla, both equipped with optional side air bags with head protection, performed well enough to earn the institute's second highest rating of acceptable. Without the optional air bags, the Cobalt and Corolla were rated poor for side-impact protection.

“With the curtain air bags, the heads of the dummies in the front and rear seats of the Cobalt and Corolla were cushioned, and head injury measures were low,” said Lund. “Head injuries are a factor in many deaths in real-world side-impact crashes, and side air bags designed to protect the head make a big difference.”

In the Cobalt, forces on the driver dummy's torso indicated the possibility of rib fractures or internal organ injuries. In the Corolla, there was the possibility of a fractured pelvis. Protection for the rear passenger was good in both cars.

Another 12 small cars earned poor ratings: Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Spectra, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Saturn ION (tested with and without side air bags), Suzuki Forenza, Suzuki Aerio, and Volkswagen New Beetle. Three more small cars will be tested in side impacts later this year. The Mini Cooper and Subaru Impreza will have new design features that are intended to improve side impact protection. The Honda Civic will be a completely redesigned model.

In the side-impact test, a moving deformable barrier strikes the driver side of a passenger vehicle at 31 mph. The barrier weighs 3,300 pounds and has a front end shaped to simulate the front end of a typical pickup or SUV. Each side-struck vehicle contains two instrumented dummies the size of a small woman, one positioned in the driver seat and one in the rear seat behind the driver.

The worst performer was the Neon, according to Lund. “This car is a disaster,” he said. “The structure is poor, and both dummies' heads were hit by the barrier during the crash test. High forces were recorded on the head, torso, and pelvis of the driver dummy. If this had been a real driver in a real crash, it's likely that it would not have been survivable.”

Vehicles need good structure, as well as side air bags, Lund noted. Four of the vehicles that earned poor ratings (Elantra, Forenza, New Beetle, and Spectra) were equipped with standard side air bags with head protection. These cars were rated good or acceptable for head injury measures recorded on the driver dummies. The Saturn ION with optional side air bags also earned an acceptable rating for driver head injury. However, the structures of all of these vehicles allowed too much intrusion during the test. Forces recorded on the driver dummies' torsos and pelvic areas were high.

“Side air bags can protect the head, but if the vehicle structure doesn't hold up well, serious injuries to other body regions still can occur,” Lund said. “With better structures along with the side air bags, the performances of these vehicles would improve.”

Side air bags with head protection are reducing deaths by about 45 percent among drivers of cars struck on the driver's side, according to IIHS research. Before the availability of head-protecting air bags, virtually nothing prevented people's heads from being struck by intruding vehicles or rigid objects, such as trees or poles. Side air bags that protect the chest and abdomen, but not the head, also have reduced deaths by about 10 percent. Well designed doors with appropriate padding are additional protection for the chest and abdomen.

Special Reports /

Small Cars No Match for SUVs

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