This blog is not affiliated with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in any way, shape, or form. Information is taken from the publicly viewable NHTSA Database. Crash tests posted on this blog were conducted between May 21, 1979 and August 17, 1989 at a speed of 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour) into a solid wall with dummies restrained by the vehicle safety belt system. Tests were conducted on the model year vehicle listed in the post and may or may not be accurate for a differing model year. Injury measures are likely accurate to a plus or minus 2% range - for example, a 26% risk of injury is likely in the 24-28% range. The five star system used for 2010 and earlier crash tests is used.

Injury risk:
10% or less - 5 star rating
11% - 20% - 4 star rating
21% - 35% - 3 star rating
36% - 45% - 2 star rating
46% or more - 1 star rating

Information for 30 mph tests

In addition to the 35 mph tests that NHTSA conducted (and still conducts) to provide vehicle safety ratings, NHTSA has also conducted various other crash-test programs in its history. One of these is a 30 mph test, conducted in the same manner (rigid barrier, full-front, belted driver and passenger dummies) as the 35 mph test. The earliest of these tests which I have access to results for were performed on 1977 model vehicles. These tests were performed into the early 1980s on a range of vehicles: cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and electric vehicles. They include some vehicles that would also be tested at 35 mph as well as many that weren't - trucks, vans and SUVs weren't tested in the 35 mph test until the 1983 model year, and electric vehicles weren't tested at 35 in this era. 

The 30 mph tests posted on this blog will generally be from the 1977 to the early 1980s period, and will be labeled "30 MPH Crash Test" to differentiate them from the 35 mph tests. Since these tests were not originally released to consumers, the 5-star rating system will not be used, but the chances of severe injury will still be provided. 

NOTE: due to the fact that the 35 mph test is 36% more severe than the 30 mph test (36% more kinetic energy), results at 30 mph and at 35 mph are not comparable. A vehicle with, for example, a 20% risk to an occupant at 30 mph is not necessarily safer - or more dangerous - than one with a 30% risk to the same occupant at 35 mph. In addition, with vehicles tested in both modes, injury risks can increase unpredictably from 30 to 35 mph. Some vehicles showed little change, while others showed a greatly increased risk, and others were in between the two extremes.

From 1987 to 1997, NHTSA used this same test to show that a vehicle equipped with "passive restraints" (automatic seat belts or airbags) could protect occupants from serious injury using only the passive restraint. Since the occupants weren't seat belted in vehicles with airbags and only used the automatic portion of the belt in vehicles with automatic belts, these tests constitute a different test and are not included. 

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