Accident data and the passive safety of vehicles, or, can you rate the passive safety of vehicles from accident data?

The purpose of this paper is report on a study made by Volkswagen, comparing the results from different Institutes on the passive safety of vehicles. These Institutes use accident data from the police or from insurance companies. They derive a rating from these figures and publish it as a guideline for the customer, to choose safety. At least their publications seek give this impression: (1) Title of the leaflet of the British Department of Transport: Buying a Car? Choose Safety; (2) The Australian Monash University Accident Research Centre uses the title: How does your car rate in a crash?; and (3) Folksam, a Swedish insurance company is very clear: How safe is your car? Clearly they feel that their data can answer this question. It is the purpose of the paper summarize a number of observations which make it hard believe that people are already in a position evaluate the passive safety of vehicles from accident statistics alone. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 896323.