CIC Phoenix: Vehicle safety now and in the future

Jan. 1, 2020
Vehicles are getting safer, and not just at higher price points.
Vehicles are getting safer, and not just at higher price points.

Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), which provides studies and insurance data to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), presented “Accident Avoidance” at the Collision Industry Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 3.

IIHS takes on the role of tackling highway safety in three ways: by analyzing vehicles, including crash avoidance technology and safety; drivers, risk factors that affect driver safety; and environment, including road design, red light and speed cameras, roundabouts, and more.

Motor vehicle crash deaths are down in 2011 to 32,367, similar to rates last seen in 1950. Deaths rose fairly consistently from 1950 through the 1970s, when new federal safety regulations were instituted. Since then, deaths have continued to drop, but so have miles driven. What remains unknown is how vehicle crash deaths will be impacted if miles driven begin to go up, Hazelbaker says.

In passenger vehicle occupant deaths, the biggest point of impact across all vehicle types — car, pickup, SUV and all combined — was the frontal area. The “other” area of impact also accounted for a high number of deaths, and is most commonly attributed to vehicle rollovers, especially in terms of SUVs. Almost half of all deaths in SUV crashes are because of rollovers, Hazelbaker says.

Frontal offset crash protection ratings, which began in 1995, originally pointed out a lot of poor, marginal and acceptable vehicles. Going into 2012, “it is difficult to find a vehicle that is less than good. We are very encouraged by these results,” Hazelbaker says.

A few years, IIHS began their Top Safety Pick Awards, which evaluate frontal, side and rear crashworthiness and a roof strength test. In 2012, a new test — small overlap frontal — was added to the evaluation. Vehicles from all price points have been named Top Safety Picks, offering testament to the success manufacturers have had in making safe cars at all price points, Hazelbaker says.

Crash avoidance is next thing to happen in vehicles, and an area where IIHS plans to expand testing, he says.

Collision warning systems in vehicles were successful in helping reduce claim severity, claim frequency and overall losses, Hazelbaker reported. However, some OEMs had issues, such as system placement and replacement costs, that may drive up claim severity.

“Collision warnings are somewhat affective. Driver action is more effective,” Hazelbaker says.

So how quickly are all these new-age safety features — lane departure, collision avoidance warnings and braking, etc — going to be available? “We are at the cusp of something new. In 2013, we now have the availability of a lot of these features on Camrys, Accords and Explorers. Vehicles that are more mainstream,” Hazelbaker says.

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