I visited the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on 2/28/08.
Many of my images are blurry - a Carl Zeiss lens isn't that great if anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise.

Talk about in the middle of nowhere. It is in Ruckersville, VA about 2 hours southwest of Washington, DC.

As you walk in the doors they have the most interesting exhibit: two 1990 Chrysler LeBarons. They are interesting because they are the first two cars that hit each other where both cars had air bags. Back then, a driver's airbag was an available option that most didn't opt for. What are the chances?


Both cars were destroyed, but according the IIHS and an article in the Washington Post, both drivers walked away. Though the coupe driver may have recovered eventually to walk, because there was no space for their feet.

We then entered the display hall.

Meet the stars. They cost $200k each but are reusable.

This is where they do seat-testing. There are about 200 seats here and there. They strap dummies to the seat and send if for a ride.

The first thing you see is a 97 Pontiac Tran Sport. It fared very badly in the offset crash test.

You can see there is no space for a person in there.

Conversely, the 97 Toyota Sienna did pretty well.

Then they redesigned the GM minivan platform. This is a 06 Chevy Uplander that did much better.

The next display had a Ford Focus versus a Ford Explorer. The Focus took a side impact from the Explorer.
The Explorer did just fine, the Focus, not so much.

Notice the good sized dent in the Explorer hood from the head of the dummy.

There was a Ford Edge on display - basically as structure example of an accident. The painted items on the front shot are key points - if they are compromised, then the car will likely not fare well.

Side crash tests have become more important now that the car companies have made the front ends better.
Here are two examples. The Lancer's B-pillar broke in half on impact. The Jetta did much better.

Minor impacts or fender benders are a real pain in my butt working for an insurance company. They are also expensive. Here are two cars that did badly in low speed crashes.

C Class - 6 mph front center test - $5,486 in damage

G35 - 3 mph front corner test - $3,544

They had recently done a new Volvo C70. It looks awful, but held up really well inside (as you would expect).

They had recent test cars sitting in a row. The Hummer H3 got a marginal rating for frontal offset.

One of the recent ones that stood out was the Kia Sorento. It did poorly in the front, but surprisingly it did badly on the side. Being up high doesn't help you in this one.

Here they learned that it is better to hit a pole dead center than off to the side.
Center - Ford Taurus:

Messed up but no intrusion into the driver's or passenger's area.

Side - 2003 Chevy Malibu:

The passenger is not walking away from this.

They set up the cars for 'after' shots in a studio. They had a 2008 Saturn Aura in it, which is actually my mom's car - same color and everything.

And finally for the test.

We got to see a 2008 Chevy Malibu have a side impact test.

Nice car.

The cart comes down a 100-yard lane - pulled by a cable.
Before and After

It was a LOT louder in person than on the video.

If I were a betting man, I'd say they will rate it either acceptable or good.
The results are in! I was right.

This is interesting, the driver's window is still intact...

Interior:

So, now I am even more convinced - I love my tC but I wish I opted for one with side airbags. My next car will have them and I may get it sooner now.

Page 1: Before
Page 2: Heyday
Page 3: Current
Page 4: Land Ark Narrative
Page 5: My day at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (current)