Big risks seen in small cars
Twice as many fatal crashes found
Americans who buy the smallest cars on the market are twice as likely to have fatal accidents as drivers of midsize and larger vehicles, according to a report being released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The data and increased sales of the fuel-efficient "minicars" prompted the institute to test, for the first time, eight models to determine which are safest. Minicars typically weigh about 2,500 pounds or less, half the weight of large pickup trucks or SUVs such as the 4,500-pound
In the testing, only the
The nonprofit organization, which is funded by the automobile insurance industry, also found that in 2005, the fatality rate in minicars between one and three years old was 144 deaths per every 1 million registered vehicles. That compared with a rate of 70 deaths per million for midsize cars and 67 per million for the largest ones.
The report said size is not the only factor affecting safety in minicars. Side airbags can help reduce the chance of serious injury or death in an accident, even in small vehicles, but some models do not come with the bags as standard equipment. Instead of spending more money on safety features, buyers sometimes opt for luxury options such as upgraded stereo systems. Side airbags as a stand-alone option can be as inexpensive as $250, but they are often folded into option packages that can cost $1,000 or more.
Side airbags are not available on the Scion xB and are optional on the Yaris, which earned a "poor" rating in side crashes without them and a "good" rating when the equipment was added. Toyota has already announced that side airbags will become standard throughout its entire lineup in 2009, including its Scion models. In a statement, Toyota called the insurance institute's testing "much more severe" than crash tests conducted by the company or the government.
Other minicars cars tested by the institute included the Mini Cooper, Chevrolet Aveo, and Hyundai Accent. The Versa was the biggest car tested by the institute and comes with standard side airbags, as does the Fit.
Honda has already announced changes to improve safety in front-end accidents by tweaking the electronics that control how and when airbags deploy. The company said it has altered front airbag programming for models built after November and will notify owners of vehicles built earlier of a company-sponsored programming update.
Even with side airbags, the Hyundai Accent rated "poor," and the Chevrolet Aveo, also equipped with side airbags, was rated "marginal."
But Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the ratings don't indicate "that side airbags don't work" because without them there would be even more serious and fatal injuries, especially in the smallest cars.
The crash tests involved not only the protection that side airbags give to the head and torso, but also measured the structural integrity of the vehicle. In the side crash tests, the institute used a moving barrier to simulate a pickup truck or SUV running into the test car at 31 miles per hour. It measured how far the barrier intruded into the car, whether a test dummy's torso and head came in contact with the barrier or a window, and the effectiveness of restraint systems.
The size of the new crop of minicars makes safety features even more important, Lund said. Many motorists believe that "size only matters when you hit another vehicle," he said, but it is also a crucial factor when accidents involve cars hitting stationary objects such as trees or walls.
Earlier studies have shown side airbags save lives, no matter what size the car, and they are now standard on most SUVs and other large vehicles. But Lund said manufacturers of inexpensive small vehicles still often leave the added safety feature out because it is "cheaper."
"I hope it's just a matter of them catching up," he said.
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com. 
