Vehicle-safety tests need to be updated

Ditlow, of the Center for Auto Safety, also wants the tests to be more demanding and he would like to see the grading system changed. He suggests a 10-star system. “That way you’d know there’s a big difference between a vehicle with seven stars and one with 10 stars,” he says.

Better safety information is already available
For 28 years, Jack Gillis has written “The Car Book,” the first publication to give consumers access to the government’s crash test ratings. For the 2008 edition, Gillis developed a new front and side crash test rating that is more sensitive than one to five stars. (The book is published by the Center for Auto Safety.)

“We haven’t changed any of the crash-test data,” Gillis tells me. “We simply took the information and analyzed it in a different way and found significant differences.” Gillis says a vehicle with four or five stars “may actually be one of the worst performers when compared to other vehicles for the year.”

For example, the 2008 Buick Lucerne and Mercury Grand Marquis both earned five stars for driver protection in a frontal crash. But Gillis says the government’s tests show the driver of the Lucerne has a 5 percent chance of being killed while the driver of the Grand Marquis has a 10 percent chance. Using his new rating system, the Lucerne receives a “Best” rating for front crashes, while the Grand Marquis rates “Above average.”

“This empowers consumers in the marketplace. This information will move you to the safest possible car in the size class you’re interested in,” Gillis says.

My two cents
The current government rating system no longer helps consumers find the safest choices on the car lot. And because so many vehicles now get top marks, there’s no real marketplace incentive for manufacturers to design even safer vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration needs to make its test more demanding and it needs to find a way to separate the best from the worst. I like Ditlow’s idea of using a 10-point rating system.

It has been a year since NHTSA announced it would improve the five-star rating program. The comment period was closed on April 10, 2007. So far, there is no proposal on the table. When can we expect one? NHTSA can’t say.

So for now, if you want your next vehicle to provide maximum safety, skip the stars. Use the information in “The Car Book” and check the results of crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Let’s hope NHTSA moves this important safety initiative into the fast lane.

More information

• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Vehicle Ratings

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