Mar 1, 2007 8:25 am US/Central
Study Finds Bumpers Lacking
Many Sustained Expensive Damage In Fender-Bender Crash Tests
(CBS News)
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File Photo
Insurance Institute For Highway Safety
A recent study shows when it comes to everyday fender benders – low-speed collisions that are common in commuter traffic and parking lots -- the bumpers on most midsize cars do little to resist damage.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the results of new tests on bumpers and how well they protect vehicles.
"Many consumer take their bumpers for granted in the damage that we see in the real world," Adrian Lund, IIHS president, said.
"The fact is, there is a lot of unnecessary damage because cars have lousy bumpers."
The institute tested the bumpers of 17 midsize cars. The tests were done at 6 miles per hour on the front and rear bumpers and 3 miles per hour on the corners, which they say is about the speed of a toddler walking.
Of the cars tested, the Mitsubishi Galant had the least costly amount of damage, but the total repair bill after four bumps was more than $4,000.
The Nissan Maxima encountered front and read hits to bumpers and the corners. The damage totaled more than $9,000.
"The problem with the bumpers on these vehicles is that although it looks like they may have big bumpers when you look at the covers, the fact is underneath there, the reinforcement bars that have to protect against the damage if you strike another vehicle just aren't very big," Lund explained. "There's a lot of empty space under that bumper cover. "
Lund said many bumpers are not tall enough to take the hit in crashes between cars and SUVs or trucks.
According to the survey results, some of the most costly damage occurs when bumpers slide under or over each other.
"If the bumper beams don't match up, if your bumper beam doesn't hit the bumper of the vehicle in front of you, then these bumpers can pass by each other and they crash into really soft and expensive bit of the car -- things like grills and head lamps even the hoods radio
components (or)air conditioning components," Lund said.
Federal bumper standards used to be tougher than they are now—bumpers were required to resist damage in impacts up to 5 miles per hour – but the rules were loosened back in 1982.
To demonstrate how bumpers have changed, the institute put a 1981 Ford Escort through the new tests. The Ford Escort suffered less than $5,000 in damage.
"Consumers benefit if they have better bumpers. And we're showing consumers which cars offer them that. And we hope they'll bring the pressure on the auto makers to get better bumpers on all cars," Lund said.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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