IIHS Releases High-Speed Crash Tests for Five 2002 Vehicles; Video on Progressive.com
Progressive Helps Consumers Become Better Car Buyers By Making Full Motion Video of Recent High-Speed Frontal Offset Crash Tests Available on progressive.com
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio — March 20, 2002 —You're shopping for a new car and you've narrowed your choice down to two. How do you decide? Will you pick the one that costs a little less or the one with the CD changer? You might also want to consider how they perform in high-speed crash tests. Cars that perform well in crash tests can be safer and cost less to insure. Progressive (NYSE: PGR), one of the nation's largest auto insurance companies, helps consumers become better car shoppers by giving them access to full-motion video of the latest forty mile an hour, high-speed frontal offset crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) available on its Web site, progressive.com. All tests conducted by IIHS since November 2000 are also archived on the site.
The videos released today are the high-speed crash tests for the 2002 models of three small cars and one minivan whose low-speed bumper test results were released last week — the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer and Volvo S40 and the Kia Sedona minivan. Today's videos also include tests of the newly designed Dodge Ram pickup. All three small cars received good crashworthiness ratings, with the Impreza and Lancer earning "best pick" designations. The Sedona was rated acceptable overall and the Dodge Ram's performance made significant improvement over the previous model year, earning a "good" rating.
"There are now seven out of the 15 small cars we've tested with good ratings and four of the seven are best picks. A few years ago we only had one good performer among the small cars," said Brian O'Neill, Institute president. "Good structural design is the key to good performance in the offset test. If a car's front-end structure absorbs the crash energy so the occupant compartment remains largely intact, with little or no intrusion into the driver's space, then the dummy's movement is likely to be controlled, and injury measures are likely to be low."
The evaluations reflect performances in 40-mph frontal-offset crash tests into a deformable barrier. Based on the results of these tests, the IIHS evaluates crashworthiness, assigning each vehicle an overall rating from good to poor.
"Buying a new car is a personal as well as a financial decision. Safety is important and we want to help consumers make smart decisions about the car they buy," said Toby Alfred, site manager, progressive.com. "Cars that perform well in high-speed crash tests can keep drivers and their families safer by minimizing injuries, which can also mean lower medical costs. And lower overall claims costs help keep insurance rates down for all consumers."
Progressive.com is the only site where consumers can view vehicle crash test results and then check out the insurance rates for the vehicle from Progressive and up to three other leading companies. And it is the only site that allows consumers to see the comparison rates offered to other visitors. To highlight the spread that exists in rates available to consumers from different companies this unique "rate ticker" feature displays an up-to-the-minute sampling of comparison rates provided to consumers across the country who used Progressive's online service.
Visitors to progressive.com can also find an agent in their neighborhood, get a quote on motorcycle, boat and RV insurance and purchase an auto, motorcycle and boat policy instantaneously online. Also at progressive.com: a repair facility-locator service; shopping tools that help consumers calculate vehicle-related costs; a vehicle recall search link; and online resources that define terms and provide the latest information and tips on driving-related issues.
Most recently, progressive.com received the "Standard of Excellence" award from the Web Marketing Association and was recognized as one of the "top 10 Web sites that work" by InfoWeek magazine. The site has also been named the top insurance carrier Web site by GomezT, a leading e-commerce authority, for five consecutive periods. And, Gomez recognizes personal.progressive.com, the company's online customer service center, for providing "best-of-breed functionality for consumers desiring to manage their vehicle insurance policies via the Internet."
Progressive (NYSE: PGR), with headquarters in Mayfield Village, Ohio, is the nation's fourth largest auto insurance company. In business since 1937, the company provides all drivers with competitive rates and 24-hour, in-person and online services. The company sells its products over the phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVESM, online at progressive.com and through more than 30,000 independent agencies throughout the U.S. More information about the company can be found at progressive.com.
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