Government to improve crash test program
WASHINGTON (AP) - July 8, 2008 The program will continue to grade new vehicles on a five-star
scale but it will add an overall safety rating that combines scores
from several crash tests, the Bush administration announced
Tuesday.
The new system, which will start in the 2010 model year, also
will include new front-end tests and will simulate a vehicle
striking a pole sideways. Female crash test dummies will be used to
represent women and large children.
Some consumer groups have complained that most vehicles earn
four or five stars in crash tests, making it difficult for car
shoppers to compare vehicles.
