TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Car ratings take a back seat to vehicle type: outcomes of SUV versus passenger car crashes
JO  - HCA healthcare journal of medicine
A1  - Jehle, Dietrich
A1  - Arslan, Albert
A1  - Doshi, Chirag
A1  - O'Brien, Clay
SP  - e1181
EP  - e1181
VL  - 2
IS  - 4
N2  - Background  Car safety ratings are routinely utilized in making automobile purchase decisions. These  1- to 5-star ratings are based on crash test data comparing vehicles of similar type, size and weight.     Objectives  We hypothesized that car safety ratings are less important than vehicle factors such as vehicle type and weight in predicting outcomes of head-on crashes.     Methods  A retrospective study was conducted on severe head-on motor vehicle crashes entered  into the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) database between 1995 and 2010. This database includes all US motor vehicle crashes that resulted in a death within 30 days of the accident. Outcomes of SUV versus passenger car and passenger car versus passenger car head-on crashes were compared by safety rating. Exclusion criteria was added to eliminate collisions with insufficient information or unbelted passengers. The paired crash results were entered into a logistic regression model with driver death as the outcome of interest.     Results  The database contained 83,251 vehicles of any type that were involved in head-on crashes.   In head-on crashes where the passenger car front driver crash rating was superior to the SUV's, the odds of death were 4.52 times higher for the driver of the passenger car (95% CI: 3.06-6.66). Ignoring crash ratings, the odds of death were 7.64 times higher for the passen- ger car driver (95% CI: 5.59-10.44). In passenger car versus passenger car head-on crashes, a lower car safety rating was associated with a 1.28 times higher odds of death (95% CI: 1.05-1.57). In passenger car vs. passenger car head-on crashes, each one point lower car safe- ty rating resulted in a 1.22 times higher odds of death (95% CI: 1.03-1.44).     Conclusion  Vehicle type (passenger car versus SUV) is a much more important predictor of death than crash safety ratings in SUV versus passenger car head-on crashes.     Keywords  5-star safety rating; head-on collision; car crash; FARS; vehicle safety; accidents, traffic/ statistics & numerical data; accidents, traffic/mortality; automobiles; equipment design; risk factors<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2689-0216
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.36518/2689-0216.1181
ID  - ref1
ER  -