1.31.2012

Automotive Safety Standards: Truly Comprehensive?


Photo taken from our retired Land Rover

Today, I decided to rent a car to drive to my home in Palm Springs.  I didn’t have a preference what I drove, and was given a Chevy Aveo LT at Hertz.  It took me a little longer than usual to pack up a few belongings and the dog, due to sorting out details such as where the latch was placed to release the hatch and where I could put my beverage.  As I was driving, I realized the car needed an alignment.  This car only had 19,400+ miles on it, which seemed a bit early for that sort of repair.  I noticed it once I started along at 65+ mph, when I couldn’t find a comfortable "10 & 2" hand position and looked down to see why; I had to hold the wheel angled toward the right to go straight.  I told myself to “get over it” and thought about how my Fiat 500, with just 3,000 miles less than this car, felt so much newer and easier to drive.  There was no cruise control, Bluetooth to make calls, USB cable or satellite radio.  I was stuck doing this the old-fashioned way.

As always while I’m driving, I became thirsty.  I tried to reach for the tea I brewed, only to find myself fumbling behind me to retrieve it from the only cup holder I could find on my pre-trip inspection.  There were no push button, hidden holders that I saw.  This was a shallow cup holder that sat low behind the front seats for easy retrieval of a beverage from the back seat, but took Gumby-like precision to reach from the cockpit.  My tea mug was always leaning which fortunately is a no-spill mug.  Every time I reached for my tea during the next 90 minutes, I thought to myself, "Shouldn’t automotive safety standards factor details such as ease of managing in-vehicle dynamics into the overall safety mix?" 

Think about it.  If I have a car that has the same safety features as any other car (e.g. airbags, ESC, dynamic suspension) but doesn’t provide a driver with the ability to operate all of the vehicle, i.e. not just the steering wheel, brake or accelerator in a simple manner, isn’t that dangerous?

In my Fiat, the cup holder is directly below the shifter and has three slots that I can place my cup into, without having to look down.  I think that’s far safer than trying to reach behind me to complete this exact same task.  The fact that my radio and cruise control are all on the stereo also help me keep my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.  While in the Aveo, I had no cruise that I could find and the radio had to be adjusted manually throughout the trip, and I must say, I change stations a lot!!!  Here is a link to the areas IIHS currently measures (on the right).  I don’t see a single one that says, “vehicle operation” or anything of the sort.

I recommend IIHS and other automotive safety advocates start taking into consideration how difficult or easy a task in the vehicle is while operating it.  On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being difficult to operate while driving, I would have given the Chevy Aveo a 9, at best.  I give my Fiat a 1. 
 
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