Minicars at risk in crashes

Study finds smallest vehicles perform poorly in head-on accidents

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Washington -- The smallest cars on the road are at a high risk for damage and personal injury in frontal crashes with midsize sedans, a study released today finds.

And, the death rate in one- to three-year-old minicars -- vehicles most automakers are building or considering bringing to market -- was almost twice as high as the rate in very large cars in multiple vehicle crashes, according to the report from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry-funded group that prods automakers to improve the safety of vehicles.

The IIHS crashed a 2009 model Toyota Yaris into a larger Toyota Camry; a Smart Fortwo into a Mercedes C-Class; and a Honda Fit into a Honda Accord. Each vehicle was traveling at 40 mph. All three small cars performed poorly, while the larger vehicles were rated good or acceptable.

Frontal crashes are the most dangerous traffic accidents, causing about 15,000 out of roughly 40,000 U.S. traffic deaths annually.

"There are safety trade-offs with buying minicars," said Adrian Lund, IIHS president. He said larger, heavier hybrid vehicles may be a better choice, since they often get similar gas mileage but fare better in head-on collisions. "Though much safer than they were a few years ago, minicars as a group do a comparatively poor job of protecting people in crashes."

Smart USA, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. all issued statements questioning the validity of the IIHS test. Toyota said of 6 million crashes in a year, just 2,600 had a closing speed of 80 mph or higher, a claim IIHS disputed.

Automakers are betting on smaller cars in the face of last year's $4 a gallon gasoline prices and higher government fuel-efficiency standards, which are pushing automakers to bring lighter, smaller vehicles to market. Federal fuel rules call for a 35 percent fleetwide average increase in fuel efficiency by 2020. To that end, Ford Motor Co. is bringing the Fiesta to the United States and General Motors Corp. is introducing the Chevrolet Cruze next year. Chrysler LLC is trying to finalize a deal with Italian automaker Fiat SpA, which would provide it with small vehicles. Volkswagen AG is considering bringing its minicar to the U.S. market as well.

Automakers dispute results

In the Smart-Mercedes test, the Smart went airborne and turned around 450 degrees; the crash dummy suffered multiple injuries.

Bloomfield Hills-based Smart USA President Dave Schembri said the IIHS test simulated a crash that was "rare and extreme" and defended the microcar. He said the logical conclusion of IIHS's push for larger vehicles would result in "everyone driving 18-wheelers."

"The test used an extremely high crash severity which is unlikely to occur in real world crashes," Schembri said.

"In fact, less than 1 percent of all crashes fall within these parameters."

He noted the Smart Fortwo meets or exceeds all U.S. government crash test standards, including a 5-star side crash rating, and is equipped with advanced crash avoidance and crash protection safety systems, including electronic stability program and a reinforced steel safety cage.

The Honda Fit had extensive damage in the crash test with the Accord.

Honda said in a statement that the test represented "unusual and extreme conditions" and at "higher speeds than most real-world vehicle to vehicle crashes."

Honda said it works on the issue of compatibility by helping to absorb crash energy through its structural elements.

In the Toyota test, the Yaris door was largely torn away and its steering wheel moved excessively. There was also a deep gash in the dummy's right knee in the Yaris.

Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman, called the IIHS test "invalid," saying frontal-crashes at those speeds don't happen very often.

"They've conducted a physics experiment in which (there is) a larger mass versus small," Lyons said, noting that the Camry is twice as heavy as the Yaris.

Crashes rare, but deadly

Lund said the three vehicles tested are among the best performers in the class and said that for urban drivers doing primarily non-highway driving, the vehicles make sense.

He acknowledged that these high-speed frontal crashes were rare, but emphasized that they were often deadly.

While IIHS acknowledged that air bags, electronic stability control and other features are helping small cars improve safety, the group said those features have been added "to cars of all sizes ... so the smallest cars still don't match the biggest ones in terms of occupant protection."

Former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration David Kelly said small car safety was an issue, but questioned this test.

"Compatibility between small and large cars remains an issue that needs to be addressed, however you have a crash that is not designed for the real world," Kelly said.

"You are going to have results that seem catastrophic."

dshepardson@detnews.com (202) 662-8735