6 hybrids have important safety feature
This is a follow up to the article ranking the 5 safest hybrids. I stand by my methods but I think a fair criticism was that I might have missed safer hybrids if I had started with a larger test group. I repeated this test using the methodology of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) own rankings for safest cars. Every car on their lists included Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
"Electronic stability control, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is the biggest lifesaver since seat belts. It's so effective that the NHTSA estimates 4,200 to 5,400 of the 10,000 deaths caused each year in rollover accidents could be prevented if it were on all vehicles" according to the Boston Globe. So, which hybrids have Electronic Stability Control? Six in 2007 according to this list.
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Honda Accord Hybrid
- Prius
- Lexus 450h
- Lexus 400h
I was a little shocked so few hybrids had this feature. So I guess it may be best just to award one hybrid, in class. So AutoblogGreen's opinion of the safest hybrid for 2007 passenger car is the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The safest SUV is the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Federal regulars will require all cars to include ESC by 2012. We will rank 2008 hybrids as crash data becomes available.
Addendum: It appears the absence of stability control may be due to the complexity of combining regenerative braking, friction braking and slip control systems. Blending regen and friction braking seamlessly is a non-trivial problem and throwing additional brake control just adds to that. As new hybrids come to market in the next couple of years, upgraded brake control systems will allow them to add the extra functionality of keeping the vehicle pointed where the driver wants to go.
(fellow AutoblogGreen blogger Sam Abuelsamid contributed to this article)
Update 1: I missed 3 hybrids on the list of cars with ESC when this article was first published. The Prius, Lexus 450h and Lexus 400h.
Update 2: The hybrids Lexuses are not rated. The Prius ranks lower than the Camry. So, the award of Camry as safest hybrid stands.
Update 3: It seems the Aura hybrid has ESC but is not listed by safercar.gov. I am looking into that. I am also looking into general safety controls of hybrids to see if cars without ESC but with exceptional controls are ignored.
[Source: Safercar.gov]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Don 5:21PM (8/17/2007)
Or, you know, you could pay attention to what you're doing.
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mike 5:32PM (8/17/2007)
Lascelles,
Thanks for the Informative article.
However, we're not talking about Mustang Gt's here or GM's Tahoe.
These cars, especially SUV's, get into accidents by their inherently bad design( High Center of Gravity, Grossly Overpowered and simply the energy required to change the direction of these MASSIVE vehicles ) and their inherently AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS.
People buying Hybrids( except for the SUV ) are going to be EXEMPLARY DRIVERS for the most part. Driving for High Mileage pretty much assures that. My guess is these buyers won't ever be going 10+ mph over the speed limit. For some drivers these kind of systems are simply a waste of money and weight.
Well, that's my opinion.
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Lascelles 5:45PM (8/17/2007)
Mike, I am not sure this is what you mean but I did not use actual real world crashes. From my research, I found that reflects more on the type of car like you said. A fast sports car might be safer but gets in more crashes than a station wagon just because the drivers like to speed or something like that. The ranking is based on safety features, MPG, is it a hybrid and controlled crashed tests. But if that's not what you meant, then yes, of course, the safest feature is an aware driver. I planned on mentioning that actually. Ending with a line like drive safely. Next time I guess.
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Karkus 5:52PM (8/17/2007)
Yes, only 3 vehicles on that list show up when you search for "hybrid". BUT, if you search more carefully, you'll also find:
1) Lexus 450h
2) Lexus 400h
3) Prius
So now there's 6 hybrids (out of about a dozen total). That seems the be about on par for all vehicles.
The idea that it's somehow too difficult to incorporate on hybrids doesn't seem to be supported. Out of all the hybrid/non-hybrid comparisons, only for the Civic does the regular model have it (optional) whereas the hybrid doesn't.
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mike 5:52PM (8/17/2007)
Lascelles,
Let's put it this way.
The way I drive, the lack of ESC would not stop me from buying a Hybrid.
But, It would stop me from buying one for my Son.
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Lascelles 6:19PM (8/17/2007)
Corrected. Thanks Karkus.
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small-wee-wee 12:08PM (8/18/2007)
Don: They are called accidents for a reason!
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Joseph 10:57PM (8/17/2007)
The Prius, despite having ESC, doesn't have as much control as the Honda Civic Hybrid, even though Honda Civic hybrid doesn't have ESC.
I got this info from edmunds. Honda Civic Hybrid remains under control for higher speeds than the Prius.
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Lascelles 7:28PM (8/17/2007)
Joseph, Could you be more specific to where this was said?
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dave 11:18PM (8/17/2007)
Saturn Aura..
"AURA Green Line MSRP† $22,695.00 BUILDStandard equipment includes a 164-horsepower, 2.4-liter, Dual VVT, Ecotec(TM) engine combined with a hybrid electrical generator. OnStar® with one-year Safe & Sound Service Plan*, 16-inch alloy wheels and a CD/MP3 stereo and StabiliTrak vehicle stability control. "
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Joseph 12:03AM (8/18/2007)
"Joseph, Could you be more specific to where this was said?"
Lascelles,
According to Wikipedia, ESC is supposed to "improve a vehicle's handling, particularly at the limits where the driver might lose control of the vehicle."
The Prius, according to edmunds, "weaved its way through the at 61 mph."
The Honda Civic Hybrid however stops 60-0 in 128 feet. The Honda Civic Hybrid went through the salom at 64 mph.
The Honda Civic Hybrid doesn't come with ESC. (Someone tell me if the 2006 HCH did) The Toyota Prius did come with ESC in edmunds example. Yet the Honda Civic Hybrid handles better (according to various reviews) and keeps under control at higher speed. Another plus, the Honda Civic hybrid stops 6 feet sooner than the Prius in 60-0 and 70-0 braking tests.
So basically, while the Prius may have ESC, the Honda Civic Hybrid should be able to avoid danger at higher speeds BETTER than the Prius! Therefore, the Honda Civic hybrid should be on here because what matters is how well the car can actually avoid accidents, not how well it's supposed to because of ESC.
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Lascelles 7:58AM (8/18/2007)
Dave, I think you got something there! The Aura is not listed. I think the gov site may have a flaw. I will contact them about updating it. At least it was not my mistake this time :D There maybe another follow up article in that.
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Lascelles 8:06AM (8/18/2007)
Joseph, You may be right but it does not unseat the Camry. I am just ranking one as winner. So much easier that way :D I will look into vehicle controls in general. You are right. I think it would be wrong to say this car controls better just because it has ESC if there is an over all problem with controls. So a blanket statement like the one I made about crash tests might be needed. Thank you to everyone for contributing.
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Lascelles 8:24AM (8/18/2007)
and Karkus, I did not write the Addendum. That was Sam. I did contact him about your comment. Anyway, this is pretty amazing :D This went from a quick look at one government website's safety records on hybrids to an AutoblogGren commenter created ranking of the safest hybrids.
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Tim Russell 3:33PM (8/20/2007)
I have driven through all kinds of weather including nasty snow storms with out having an 'Accident' and I have never owned or driven a car with stability control. Then again being a car control freak I have been using winter tires on my cars for years. All seasons just don't cut it. I like the control. I'm sure stability control may help that much more but I think it's over rated. BTW tons of non-hybrids have this "important" safety feature too.
mike - lots of generalizations about the type of vehicle vs. how it's driven. I have been passed by Prius drivers while going 70+ MPH.
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steven 8:51AM (8/22/2007)
This attitude that hybrid drivers are EXEMPLARY DRIVERS is not 100% accurate (see the Woz post for example). I have been pushed out of the way by more Prius drivers that I can remember, regularly going 75-80 on Rt 2/4 in MD, which is only 55 MPH. "Stay the hell outta my way, even if you are in the right-hand lane, I've got a Prius! I'm saving gas and you're not!". And why does one become non-EXEMPLARY if you have an hybrid SUV? More of this holier that anyone attitude. Not everyone can afford two vehicles; a Pruis and the one they need to haul the 3 kids all with cars seats, the dog, and camping stuff for the weekend.
Lastly, I think the term accident and crash really should not be used interchangeably. Accident usually infers that it is somewhat of a random situation. Many/most automobile collisions are not accidents. It may not be your fault and you may have not been the person being unattentive, but the primary cause usually is just that.
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saabgeorge 8:20PM (8/30/2007)
The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid has Stability Control and Traction Control as standard features.
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