Safety Concerns of Auto Consumers
In the latest public attitude survey conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), nearly eight in ten respondents who purchased or leased autos in the past three years rated vehicle safety as important to their purchase decisions. Sixty-eight percent of auto consumers sought at least one type of vehicle safety information before making their selections.
More than half (54 percent) of recent auto consumers looked for information about the specific vehicle safety features of prospective vehicles, such as airbags or anti-lock brakes. One in four sought information on the maneuverability or driveability of prospective vehicles, while 23 percent obtained crash test information.
Interestingly, consumers most often sought safety information from car salespeople (37 percent). Other sources of vehicle safety information used by consumers included Consumer Reports (29 percent), newspaper reports and car magazines (18 percent), auto manufacturers (17 percent), and friends (15 percent).
What Source of Vehicle Safety Information Did You Use Before Recent Vehicle Purchase or Lease?
Based on Consumers Who Purchased or Leased Autos in Past Three Years and Sought Vehicle Safety Information Before Purchase Decision
Source: Insurance Research Council
Public attitudes on the safety of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were also examined in this report. Nearly half of all survey respondents reported that they had seen or heard news stories about the performance of SUVs in collisions. The reported content of these stories most often centered on the high risk of rollover accidents associated with SUVs and the extensive damage that may be caused by SUVs in multiple car collisions.
However, public opinion was mixed on whether SUVs provide more protection than large passenger cars in single-vehicle accidents. Public indecision regarding SUV safety is one example of how, even when information is available and relatively widespread, consumers can reach different conclusions about vehicle safety.
"It is clear that consumers are very concerned with buying safer cars," commented Elizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president of the Insurance Research Council, "but knowing which cars are safer can be hard to judge."
How Important Was Vehicle Safety to Recent Vehicle Purchase or Lease?
Based on Consumers Who Purchased or Leased Autos in Past Three Years
Source: Insurance Research Council
The results contained in IRC's recently released report, Public Attitude Monitor 1999, Issue 4, were based on a survey conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. The survey consisted of in-person interviews with 2,000 men and women 18 years old and older conducted in June 1999. Survey participants were selected to be representative of the population of the continental U.S.
For more detailed information on the study's methodology and findings, contact Elizabeth Sprinkel by phone at (610) 644-2212, ext. 7568; by fax at (610) 640-5388; or by e-mail at irc@cpcuiia.org. Or visit IRC's Web site at www.ircweb.org. Copies of the study are available at $10 each in the U.S. ($20 elsewhere) postpaid from the Insurance Research Council, 718 Providence Rd., Malvern, Pa. 19355-0725. Phone: (610) 644-2212, ext. 7569. Fax: (610) 640-5388.