Aug 23
Low-Speed Crashes Cause High-Cost Repairs
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released cost estimates for low-impact accidents, common “fender-benders” that happen in a parking lot or dense commute. These accidents are typically at a very low speed, usually under ten and more commonly about six miles per hour. The low speeds, though, are not a protection against severe and costly damage.
Just three midsize cars – Toyota’s Camry, Mitsubishi’s Galant and the Mazda 6 – of the 17 tested sustained damage of $1,500 or less from each of the different crash tests that measured damage from rear, rear corner, front and front corner collisions. Four of the vehicles had damage of $4,000 or more, including the most expensive, the Volkswagen Passat, with an estimated repair bill of $4,594. The Pontiac G6 was close behind with estimated damage of $4,588. The Nissan Maxima’s damage billed out at $4,535 and the Hyundai Sonata at $4,312.
A 1981 Ford Escort was included in the test. It sustained no damage in the two corner crashes; the front crash bill was just $86 and the rear crash bill was just $383. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said that low-speed crash standards had been weakened during the Reagan administration, in 1982, and that older vehicles performed better.
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August 23rd, 2007 at 2:59 pm
This is very interesting info from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. I was, unfortunately, in a car accident last Fall while driving… one of those old Ford Escorts! To my surprise, while the car was totalled, I was NOT totalled (a couple busted ribs and some ugly bruises – far better than the car fared). I was lead to credit my survival at least partially to a decently built older vehicle… one that I didn’t even want to drive except to the dump on Saturdays!