Status Report, Vol. 42: 2007

Volume 42, Number 11 • December 22, 2007

TOP SAFETY PICK awards for 2008 include 11 first-time winners

Twenty-three vehicles almost won TOP SAFETY PICK awards

Bumpers on 6 minivans perform better than those on midsize cars, but still allow too much damage

Damage repair costs after low-speed bumper tests

Fuel economy can be improved without compromising safety

Volume 42, Number 10 • October 13, 2007

Reducing BACs to the legal limit (less than 0.08 percent) could save almost 9,000 lives per year; Another new study quantifies the benefits of reducing BACs

Allowing belts to loosen in crashes may be contributing to injuries

Federal study of ESC adds to evidence that lives are being saved

Risk compensation theory is misunderstood or misapplied for the umpteenth time

For the second time, court tells FMCSA to get it right on truckers' hours

Volume 42, Number 9 • September 11, 2007

These machines are designed for the racetrack

Helmets are key to reversing growing trend of rider deaths

Novelty helmets prove flimsy in federal tests

Supersports dominate the worst list for theft and comprehensive losses

Volume 42, Number 8 • August 4, 2007

Bumpers on luxury cars don't do a good job of resisting damage

Vehicle repair costs after series of 4 low-speed impacts

Seats and head restraints in cars and SUVs improve while those in pickups and minivans aren't showing the same progress

Federal bumper rule should cover SUVs and pickups as well as cars

NCAP improvements under consideration don't go far enough

Volume 42, Number 7 • June 15, 2007

Teen drivers' crash rates have declined sharply since 1996

Many teens still get permits as soon as possible

Parents know safety is important but they don't always pick the safest vehicles for their teens

All trucks need recorders

Speed governors for big rigs would target deadly crashes

Vans will get better door latches under new rule

Volume 42, Number 6 • May 31, 2007

Going without a top is fun but what about the trade-off with safety? Institute's first crashworthiness evaluations of convertibles

Safety versus fun: minimize the trade-offs

Popularity waxes and wanes

Death rates aren't higher in convertibles but a roof still is safer

Top safety pick winners: Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70

Volume 42, Number 5 • May 12, 2007

The stories of some of the 119 people killed in crashes on one day — June 7, 2005

Closer look at the crash toll

Deaths across the U.S.

Volume 42, Number 4 • April 19, 2007

Driver deaths by make and model: fatality risk in one vehicle versus another

Models with highest and lowest death rates

Volume 42, Number 3 • March 19, 2007

Reducing the risk for older drivers

Perspective on older drivers

Volume 42, Number 2 • March 1, 2007

New crash test show high cost of bumpers that fail to bump

New series of bumper tests; test barrier mimics vehicle bumper

Bumper mismatch

Best ever bumpers: Ford's 1981 Escort sustains fraction of the damage to new cars

Style vs. function

Parts prices drive up costs

Safety components may be damaged; repairing cosmetic parts is enough of an aggravation without having to worry about vehicle safety too

Volume 42, Number 1 • January 27, 2007

Red light cameras in Philadelphia all but eliminate violations

Cameras in U.S. communities

Why beginners crash and the kinds of crashes they get into

Vehicle size in relation to safety and fuel economy

Airbags: What you might not know (or don't remember)

New HLDI publications