What were the safest and least safe vehicles nearly 40 years ago? At the time, there was only one standardized crash test program: the NHTSA 35 mph full frontal crash test.
Here's an analysis of who did well in the 52 crash tests of this type NHTSA did on 1979 and 1980 model cars - and who did poorly. (Or, more accurately, who did mediocre - and who did terribly - because results, on average, were not good)
The average injury forces across all 52 vehicles:
For reference, "passing" (meaning that serious injury would be unlikely) meant under 1,000 HIC and 60 Chest G's.
Driver: 1,288 HIC, 57.0 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,332 HIC, 49.9 Chest G's.
Both of these averages are well into the "failing" zone, and would score 1 out of 5 stars in the later 5-star rating system. Only 13 of the 52 cars were in the "passing" range for both occupants, (there was a 14th that had a driver HIC of 1,001)
American vs. Import
American vehicles' average injury measures:
Driver: 1,074 HIC, 52.2 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,127 HIC, 45.8 Chest G's
Imported vehicles' average injury measures:
Driver: 1,619 HIC, 64.5 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,659 HIC, 56.6 Chest G's
In these rounds of crash tests, the American cars performed far better than the imports. 12 out of 32 American cars passed on both sides, whereas only 1 out of 20 imported cars passed on both sides. In fact, all but 3 imported cars failed on both sides!
Here are the five best performers - the vehicles that had HICs below 800 and less than 50 Chest G's on each occupant:
1. 1979 Buick Riviera - D: 547 HIC, 42 Chest G's. P: 782 HIC, 39 Chest G's.
2. 1980 Cadillac Seville - D: 622 HIC, 43 Chest G's. P: 523 HIC, 35 Chest G's.
3. 1979 Dodge Magnum - D: 646 HIC, 39 Chest G's. P: 730 HIC, 44 Chest G's.
4. 1980 Chevy Chevette - D: 662 HIC, 45 Chest G's. P: 707 HIC, 40 Chest G's.
5. 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass - D: 695 HIC, 42 Chest G's. P: 500 HIC, 40 Chest G's.
All five of these vehicles are American.
The five worst performers - the vehicles that had HICs above 2,400 for either occupant.
1. 1979 Peugeot 504 - D: 4,611 HIC, 62 Chest G's. P: 2,535 HIC, 43 Chest G's.
2. 1980 Honda Prelude - D: 3,063 HIC, 51 Chest G's. P: 1,778 HIC, 43 Chest G's.
3. 1980 Honda Civic - D: 2,710 HIC, 53 Chest G's. P: 1,511 HIC, 46 Chest G's.
4. 1980 Subaru GF - D: 1,101 HIC, 72 Chest G's. P: 2,858 HIC, 94 Chest G's.
5. 1979 Chrysler LeBaron - D: 2,401 HIC, 44 Chest G's. P: 1,070 HIC, 37 Chest G's.
The presence of the LeBaron in this list shows that not all American vehicles were among the better performers - in fact, some American, even full-size American, cars did poorly.
But the imports wouldn't stay behind for long. Today, import brands comprise a majority of the safest vehicles. In 1980, the common wisdom was to buy a "big, American car" if you wanted the safest vehicles. The imported cars, which were also often smaller, had a reputation of being "tin cans". And that assumption was largely correct.
If in 1980 American cars were far safer on average, but today both are very safe, the imports had to catch up at some point. Next post.
Here's an analysis of who did well in the 52 crash tests of this type NHTSA did on 1979 and 1980 model cars - and who did poorly. (Or, more accurately, who did mediocre - and who did terribly - because results, on average, were not good)
The average injury forces across all 52 vehicles:
For reference, "passing" (meaning that serious injury would be unlikely) meant under 1,000 HIC and 60 Chest G's.
Driver: 1,288 HIC, 57.0 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,332 HIC, 49.9 Chest G's.
Both of these averages are well into the "failing" zone, and would score 1 out of 5 stars in the later 5-star rating system. Only 13 of the 52 cars were in the "passing" range for both occupants, (there was a 14th that had a driver HIC of 1,001)
American vs. Import
American vehicles' average injury measures:
Driver: 1,074 HIC, 52.2 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,127 HIC, 45.8 Chest G's
Imported vehicles' average injury measures:
Driver: 1,619 HIC, 64.5 Chest G's
Passenger: 1,659 HIC, 56.6 Chest G's
In these rounds of crash tests, the American cars performed far better than the imports. 12 out of 32 American cars passed on both sides, whereas only 1 out of 20 imported cars passed on both sides. In fact, all but 3 imported cars failed on both sides!
Here are the five best performers - the vehicles that had HICs below 800 and less than 50 Chest G's on each occupant:
1. 1979 Buick Riviera - D: 547 HIC, 42 Chest G's. P: 782 HIC, 39 Chest G's.
2. 1980 Cadillac Seville - D: 622 HIC, 43 Chest G's. P: 523 HIC, 35 Chest G's.
3. 1979 Dodge Magnum - D: 646 HIC, 39 Chest G's. P: 730 HIC, 44 Chest G's.
4. 1980 Chevy Chevette - D: 662 HIC, 45 Chest G's. P: 707 HIC, 40 Chest G's.
5. 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass - D: 695 HIC, 42 Chest G's. P: 500 HIC, 40 Chest G's.
All five of these vehicles are American.
The five worst performers - the vehicles that had HICs above 2,400 for either occupant.
1. 1979 Peugeot 504 - D: 4,611 HIC, 62 Chest G's. P: 2,535 HIC, 43 Chest G's.
2. 1980 Honda Prelude - D: 3,063 HIC, 51 Chest G's. P: 1,778 HIC, 43 Chest G's.
3. 1980 Honda Civic - D: 2,710 HIC, 53 Chest G's. P: 1,511 HIC, 46 Chest G's.
4. 1980 Subaru GF - D: 1,101 HIC, 72 Chest G's. P: 2,858 HIC, 94 Chest G's.
5. 1979 Chrysler LeBaron - D: 2,401 HIC, 44 Chest G's. P: 1,070 HIC, 37 Chest G's.
The presence of the LeBaron in this list shows that not all American vehicles were among the better performers - in fact, some American, even full-size American, cars did poorly.
But the imports wouldn't stay behind for long. Today, import brands comprise a majority of the safest vehicles. In 1980, the common wisdom was to buy a "big, American car" if you wanted the safest vehicles. The imported cars, which were also often smaller, had a reputation of being "tin cans". And that assumption was largely correct.
If in 1980 American cars were far safer on average, but today both are very safe, the imports had to catch up at some point. Next post.
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