Vehicle safety

I'm in Ohio right now, on my way to interviewing the CEO of GM, Rick Wagoner, about the new Chevy Volt. The Volt will be GM's first plug-in hybrid car, and the company says it will get the eqivalent of 150 miles to the gallon. Its batteries will last ten years, but come at $10,000 a pop; and the car itself is expected to cost somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000.

Although my producer and I get to see it today, the Volt's not due to hit the lot until 2010 (and even then, experts are worried it may not be ready on schedule.). So in the meantime, if you're looking for a car that doesn't recharge itself in your wall, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety can offer some suggestions. Their 2009 model Small SUV safety rankings were released this week and the top picks were the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Ford Escape and the Nissan Rogue.

Considering the skyrocketing gas prices in the first half of 2008, the last thing many people would want to think about is buying a car. In fact, Americans have cut back on their driving big time - the country drove 12.2 billion fewer miles in June than the same month the year before. But, if you do still drive, and need to buy yourself a new set of wheels, the IIHS has some safety recommendations:

1) Standard Electronic Stability Control:According to the IIHS, electronic stability control protects drivers by sensing instability and helping bring the vehicle back into the intended line of travel. It keeps drivers safe when they lose control at high speeds.

2) Side Airbags: In the Small SUV crash tests, the two-door 2008 Jeep Wrangler went without its optional side airbags - and the driver door opened on impact. The older version of the Wrangler, which didn't offer side airbags, earned a rating of 'marginal' while the newer version of the car earned a rating of 'poor.'

3) Skip the Small Cars:Bigger is generally safer, the IIHS says. The heavier the car, the lower the driver death rate per million registered vehicles until about 4,500 pounds.

As gas prices hit day 35 of their ongoing decline, some of the people contributing to that 12.2 billion might be getting back on the road. A single car safety feature like electronic stability control will lower their risk of a fatal single-vehicle crash by about half, and the risk of a fatal single-vehicle rollover crash by as much as 70 percent, says the IIHS.

Don't be a dummy, and safe travels!