Insurance Insights ~ November 1998

NHTSA Auto Collision Statistics

After lengthy discussion, your family has decided it may be time to get a new car. You want something practical, your spouse wants something with a bit more cargo space, your children think you should buy something sporty, and everyone has a different opinion on what color to buy.

How much should you spend? Which car is the most reliable? Will the car you purchase hold its value? Should you buy or lease? All this information is giving you a headache.

Perhaps you should consider one other factor...SAFETY!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently released frontal and side impact crash results on the 1998 autos. NHTSA supplies these crash test results for several classes of vehicles, as well as for specific models.

In the frontal crash rating results, vehicles are classified by the estimated chance of a life-threatening head or chest injury for the driver or front seat passenger. The results should be compared against other vehicles in the same weight class. For example, a Ford Taurus, a mid-size vehicle, should be compared with a Dodge Stratus, another mid-size car.

The cars tested received a one to five star rating from NHTSA, with five stars meaning the vehicle has the best protection. A vehicle is twice as likely to be involved in a severe frontal crash than in a severe side crash. Test results here show the crash protection given to drivers and passengers using safety belts and air bags.

• 1998 Compact Passenger Car
• 1998 Light Passenger Car
• 1998 Mid-Size Passenger Car
• 1998 Heavy Passenger Car
• 1998 Sport Utility Vehicles
• 1998 Vans
• 1998 Light Trucks

1998 Compact Passenger Car (2000 to 2499 lbs. Curb Weight)
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Chevrolet Prism 4 dr	2498	****	****	***	***
Ford Escort 4 dr	2548	***	***	***	***
Honda Civic 2 dr	2313	****	****	**	***
Honda Civic 4dr	2379	****	****	***	***
Hyundai Accent 4dr	2254	***	****	Not tested	Not tested
Mazda Protégé 4dr	2429	***	No data	Not tested	Not tested
Mercury Tracer 4dr	2458	***	***	***	***
Nissan Sentra 4dr	2452	***	****	***	***
Saturn SL 4dr	2269	*****	****	***	***
Toyota Corolla 4dr	2498	****	****	***	***
Toyota Tercel 2dr	2070	Not tested	Not tested	***	****

1998 Light Passenger Car (2500 to 2999 lbs. Curb Weight)
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Buick Skylark 4dr	2983	Not tested	Not tested	*	***
Cheverolet Cavalier 2dr	2708	***	****	*	**
Cheverolet Cavalier 4dr	2750	****	****	*	***
Dodge Neon 4dr	2520	***	****	**	***
Eagle Talon 2dr	2853	Not tested	Not tested	*	No Data
Ford Contour 4dr	2860	*****	****	***	****
Ford Escort ZX2 2dr	2541	Not tested	Not tested	*	****
GM EV1 2dr	2886	***	***	Not tested	Not tested
Hyundai Elantra 4dr	2706	***	***	***	*
Hyundai Sonata 4dr	2761	***	****	*	**
Mazda 626 4dr	2762	Not tested	Not tested	***	***
Mercury Mystique 4dr	2860	*****	****	***	****

1998 Mid-Size Passenger Car (3000 to 3499 lbs. Curb Weight)
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Acura TL 4dr	3285	****	****	Not tested	Not tested
Buick Century 4dr	3380	Not tested	Not tested	***	***
Buick Lesabre 4dr	3442	****	****	***	***
Buick Regal 4dr	3380	To be tested	To be tested	***	***
Chevrolet Camaro 2dr	3336	****	*****	***	****
Chevrolet Lumina 4dr	3367	****	*****	****	***
Chevrolet Malibu 4dr	3083	****	****	*	***
Chrysler Cirrus 4dr	3043	***	****	***	**
Dodge Stratus 4dr	3043	***	****	***	**
Ford Mustang 2dr	3078	*****	****	***	***
Ford Taurus 4dr	3308	****	****	***	***
Honda Accord 2dr	3176	****	****	Not tested	Not tested
Honda Accord 4dr	3078	****	****	****	****
Infiniti I30 4dr	3088	****	****	Not tested	Not tested
Lexus ES300 4dr	3344	****	****	*****	****
Mercedes-Benz C230 4dr	3190	****	****	***	****

1998 Heavy Passenger Car (3500 lbs. & over Curb Weight)
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Audi A8 4DR	3751	*****	*****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Cadillac DeVille 4DR	4011	****	****	****	****
Ford Crown Victoria 4DR	3951	*****	*****	****	****
Mercury Grand Marquis 4DR	3951	*****	*****	****	****
Oldsmobile Aurora 4DR	3993	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Pontiac Bonneville 4DR SSE	3558	*****	***	***	**
Volvo S90 4DR	3521	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested

1998 Sport Utility Vehicles
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Chevrolet Blazer 4DR 4X4	4208	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Chevrolet Suburban 4DR 4X4	5759	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Dodge Durango 4DR 4X4	4694	**	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Ford Expedition 4DR 4X4	5497	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Ford Explorer 4DR 4X4	4258	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
GMC Jimmy 4DR 4X4	4208	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
GMC Suburban 4DR 4X4	5759	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Honda CR-V 4DR 4X4	3149	****	*****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Honda Passport 4DR 4X4	3966	***	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Isuzu Rodeo 4DR 4X4	3966	***	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4DR 4X4	3871	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Lincoln Navigator 4DR 4X4	5497	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Mercedes ML 320 4DR 4X4	4396	****	*****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Mercury Mountaineer 4DR 4X4	4258	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Oldsmobile Bravada 4DR 4X4	4208	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Toyota 4Runner 4DR 4X4	4029	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Toyota RAV4 4DR 4X4	3005	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested

1998 Vans
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Chevrolet Astro	4415	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Chevrolet Venture	3857	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Chrysler Town & Country SX	3709	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Chrysler Town & Country LX	4017	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Dodge Caravan	3709	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Dodge Grand Caravan	4017	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Ford Windstar	3810	*****	*****	Not Tested	Not Tested
GMC Safari	4415	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Mazda MPV	3821	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Oldsmobile Silhouette	3857	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Plymouth Grand Voyager	4017	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Plymouth Voyager	3709	***	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Pontiac Transport	3857	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Toyota Sienna	3973	*****	*****

1998 Light Trucks
Make & Model	Weight	Frontal Crash Ratings		Side Crash Ratings
		Driver	Passenger	Driver	Rear Passenger
Chevrolet C/K PU EXCAB	4518	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
Chevrolet S10 PU EXCAB	3497	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Dodge Dakota PU EXCAB	4896	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Dodge Ram PU EXCAB	4896	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Ford F150 PU	3951	*****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Ford Ranger PU	3543	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
GMC Sierra PU EXCAB	4518	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested
GMC Sonoma PU EXCAB	3497	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Mazda B-Series	3543	****	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Nissan Frontier PU EXCAB	3691	***	****	Not Tested	Not Tested
Toyota Tacoma PU	3601	****	***	Not Tested	Not Tested

All that glitters…or The Story of Moissanite

As it is said, "All that glitters is not gold."

A new diamond facsimile, called a "moissanite," the fancy name for silicon carbide (aka carborundum), is making a debut which can fool the experts. The traditional electronic diamond tester will give a false positive. A diamond's normal hardness is ten and a moissanite tests as a nine and one-half, all too close. Other diamond substitutes, such as cubic zircon, can be easily detected but the same cannot be said for moissanite, due to arrive later in 1998.

This new fake diamond is shinier than a diamond, which initially will be offered only in round shape and in weights less than one and one-half carats. Now here's the problem -- a moissanite purchased for $500 can be taken to another jeweler who falsely identifies it as a diamond, setting an appraisal value of $5,000. Or worse, an unscrupulous store could sell the moissanite as a real diamond that would not be uncovered as bogus until much later, if ever.

So, what is the answer to this puzzle? Well, there is a new electronic tester costing about $500 that is specifically tailored to detect for moissanite. Also, a knowledgeable jeweler who has had training in the identification of moissanite should be able to detect the "fuzziness" of the product when examined under a magnifying jeweler’s loop, revealing the "ribbon-like" inclusions with a muted color.

If you're in the market for a diamond, be aware of this new imposter. Make sure you are buying from a reputable jeweler. And, if in doubt, insist on an independent evaluation by a certified expert with the knowledge, expertise and modern equipment to detect this latest fraud.

INSURANCE INSIGHTS is an electronic newsletter published monthly by G. C. Weimer Associates, Inc. Information contained herein is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief as of 11/1/98. If you have a topic of interest for a future issue, e-mail us at info@gcwinsure.com.