Between March 16, 1978 and May 15, 1979, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tested 35 1978 model year vehicles head on into a flat wall at just under 30 mph. This was an experimental crash test program - the results were unpublished, and the tests carried no legal weight. This crash test was identical to the one that every vehicle had to pass between the 1982 and 1997 model years to be legal for sale in the US. Vehicles ranged from cars to trucks to vans to SUVs. They were American, European, and Japanese - a fine cross-section of the vehicles available to American consumers in 1978.
Conclusions drawn from NHTSA's 1978 crash test program:
-Of the 35 tests, 27 were conducted after the start of the 1979 model year (Sept. 1, 1978). 19 were conducted in the 1979 calendar year. The average date of the tests was December 14, 1978. By modern standards, the tests were conducted very belatedly and would be of virtually no use to new car buyers.
- Three driver results and four passenger results were not available due to faults in the testing equipment. That is a 10 percent failure rate - unacceptable by modern standards.
-Average speed was 47.7 kph (29.64 mph), with a range of 46.7 - 48.3 kph (29.02 - 30.01 mph).
-A head injury criterion of 1000 or up and/or a chest deceleration of 60 or more G's indicates a likelihood of serious injury. A head injury criterion above 1800 or chest deceleration above 90 G's would likely be fatal.
-Average head injury criteria were 923 for the driver and 1009 for the passenger.
-Range of head injury criteria was 447 to 2300 for the drivers and 349 to 2223 for the passengers.
-Average chest decelerations were 47.4 G's for the driver and 43.0 G's for the passenger.
-Range of chest decelerations were 31 to 62 G's for the drivers and 26 to 71 G's for the passengers.
-Drivers would have been likely to suffer serious injury in 41% of the vehicles and to be killed in 3%.
-Passengers would have been likely to suffer serious injury in 28% of the vehicles and to be killed in 6%.
This crash test program was very mild by today's standards but was groundbreaking for its time. A majority of vehicles failed this test, but the introduction of consumer-use crash testing in 1979 and the mandate that all vehicles pass this 30 mph test by 1982 spurred on a rapid improvement in car safety. Today, the 30 mph test into a flat wall is a piece of cake for cars to pass with flying colors, and is no longer used.
Conclusions drawn from NHTSA's 1978 crash test program:
-Of the 35 tests, 27 were conducted after the start of the 1979 model year (Sept. 1, 1978). 19 were conducted in the 1979 calendar year. The average date of the tests was December 14, 1978. By modern standards, the tests were conducted very belatedly and would be of virtually no use to new car buyers.
- Three driver results and four passenger results were not available due to faults in the testing equipment. That is a 10 percent failure rate - unacceptable by modern standards.
-Average speed was 47.7 kph (29.64 mph), with a range of 46.7 - 48.3 kph (29.02 - 30.01 mph).
-A head injury criterion of 1000 or up and/or a chest deceleration of 60 or more G's indicates a likelihood of serious injury. A head injury criterion above 1800 or chest deceleration above 90 G's would likely be fatal.
-Average head injury criteria were 923 for the driver and 1009 for the passenger.
-Range of head injury criteria was 447 to 2300 for the drivers and 349 to 2223 for the passengers.
-Average chest decelerations were 47.4 G's for the driver and 43.0 G's for the passenger.
-Range of chest decelerations were 31 to 62 G's for the drivers and 26 to 71 G's for the passengers.
-Drivers would have been likely to suffer serious injury in 41% of the vehicles and to be killed in 3%.
-Passengers would have been likely to suffer serious injury in 28% of the vehicles and to be killed in 6%.
This crash test program was very mild by today's standards but was groundbreaking for its time. A majority of vehicles failed this test, but the introduction of consumer-use crash testing in 1979 and the mandate that all vehicles pass this 30 mph test by 1982 spurred on a rapid improvement in car safety. Today, the 30 mph test into a flat wall is a piece of cake for cars to pass with flying colors, and is no longer used.
safety rating for 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS LS6
ReplyDeleteSafety ratings were introduced in the late '70s. Unfortunately, the '70 El Camino doesn't have a safety rating. It would probably do pretty poorly though being such an old design.
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