When the NHTSA 35-mph crash check started in 1979, it was graded on a “move/fail” scheme. A car “handed” if its HIC was below 1,000 and chest G’s lower than 60 for each occupants. Later, this cutoff was used to determine a minimal entrance crash security customary: from 1982-1997, autos needed to move this threshold for each occupants in a 30-mph crash check, performed with seat belts or “passive restraints” (typically airbags).
Because it seems, the 1000/60 threshold subdivides the 3-star score. A car that passes will get both a 5-star or a 4-star score, a car that fails will get a 2-star or a 1-star score, and a car close to the road will get a 3-star score. A 3-star score signifies a extreme damage threat of 21-35%.
In observe, a car that hardly handed (proper at a 1,000 HIC and 60 chest G’s) can be proper on the minimal cut-off of a 3-star score, whereas a car that hardly failed on one parameter might nonetheless get a high-end 3-star score if the opposite parameter was properly under the essential worth.
Theoretically, a car might get a 4-star score if the HIC exceeded 1,000, however the margin was extraordinarily slim and in observe this was by no means achieved. A HIC of roughly 1,030 by itself would put the extreme damage threat above 20%, and thus the car within the 3-star vary.
The occupants that “handed” with the best damage threat that I’ve discovered have been the drivers of the 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe and 1992 Chevy S-10. Each had a 33% threat, close to the worst of the 3-star vary. The Oldsmobile had a HIC of 998 with 58 chest G’s and the S-10 had a HIC of 990 with 59 chest G’s. Each narrowly cleared the cutoff for each head and chest.
On the flip aspect have been the passengers of the 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport, 1980 Datsun 200SX, and 1981 Ford Escort. These three had a 22% threat. The Pontiac and Datsun had matching HICs and chest G’s: HIC 1,003, chest G’s 44. The Escort had a HIC of 1,011 with 40 chest G’s. Though these autos narrowly failed as a result of HIC, their threat was nonetheless a 3rd decrease than the worst passing autos, which successfully had the identical HICs with a lot increased chest damage threat. The 1993 Lexus GS300, with 61 chest G’s however a HIC of solely 369, had a 23% damage threat and was the “most secure” car to fail on chest damage.
It has been famous in more moderen years that chest compression is a extra dependable measure of potential chest damage than chest G’s, however these are the damage measures as initially recorded. Larger chest G’s often loosely correlate to increased chest compressions, anyway.
