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March 1, 2007
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing the results of a new series of crash tests today (New Low-Speed Crash Tests: Costly damage is the rule when bumpers don't bump). The tests were designed to find out how well modern bumpers protect cars in low-speed collisions like the kind that happen in commuter traffic. The tests were at 3 mph and 6 mph.
The institute says the tests were intended to measure how much crash damage happens because cars don’t have bumpers that can withstand what should be minor fender benders. It found some midsize cars sustained $4,500 damage in just one 6 mph crash test into a barrier that represents the bumper of another vehicle.
A lot of the damage happens because bumpers slide under or over the bumper they’re hitting. This is especially a problem when cars hit SUVs or vice versa.
Cars were once required to have bumpers that could withstand a 5 mph hit, but that rule was rolled back by the Reagan Administration. It also tested a 1981 Ford Escort that met the old standard to show that it could handle the new bumper tests with little or no damage.
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at 12:06 PM to Safety
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