Bad Bumpers to Blame for Pricey Accidents
March 1, 2007 — -- A study released today shows that even 3 to 6 mph car crashes can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a vehicle.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that's because vehicle bumpers aren't strong enough. Though the outside seems substantial, the large part that's visible is just painted plastic. Inside, there's a bunch of foam and filler, and beneath that, a much narrower metal bar.
A fender bender is not the kind of crash that impacts your safety -- instead, it hits your pocketbook. Many people pay thousands of dollars for what should be a mishap, the kind of accident in a supermarket parking lot that leaves the driver mad, but not injured.
"We think that these minor crashes where the bumpers should be absorbing all of this energy account for over $6 billion in insurance property damage claims each year," said the institute's Adrian Lund.
The institute tested 17 cars in four different ways. The cars with the highest damage costs for three to six mph collisions were the Volkswagen Jetta and the Nissan Maxima. Each required more than $9,000 in repairs after the four tests.
Cars with the lowest repair costs were the Mitsubishi Galant (about $4,200) and the Toyota Camry (roughly $4,900).
The main challenge: bumpers of different heights that don't line up in a crash.
"We're seeing a lot of damage because the bumpers slide off of each other, and instead they run into the very soft parts of the vehicle," Lund said. "Even radiator parts get damaged because the bumper that you should have been engaged with is now crushing into the front end of your car."
Volkswagen told "Good Morning America" it would take the insurance institute's data into consideration when developing new vehicles.
Nissan said it designed each new model to resist low-speed collision damage and would work closely with insurance companies to keep premiums low.
Several automakers told "GMA" that low-speed bumper damage was not a passenger safety issue.
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