Airbags Overtake Anti-Lock Breaks in Safety Ranking
20 July 1998
Valvoline/ASE Poll: Airbags Overtake Anti-Lock Breaks in Safety Ranking by America's Top Auto Technicians
Seat belts are still by far the No. 1 safety feature, according to sixth
annual Valvoline/ASE Poll of the American Mechanic
LEXINGTON, Ky. July 20 -- Anti-lock brakes are taking a back
seat to airbags as a preferred safety feature in today's vehicles, the
nation's best auto technicians say in a new national survey.
Seat belts are still by far the No. 1 safety feature for cars and trucks,
according to 61 percent of respondents in the sixth annual Valvoline ASE Poll
of the American Mechanic released today. However, 20 percent of technicians
named airbags as the second best safety feature, followed by 18 percent for
anti-lock brakes. In the 1997 poll, only 16 percent of technicians voted for
airbags while 23 percent voted for anti-lock brakes.
"All the publicity around the proper use of airbags is having an influence
on their safety value," said Ronald Weiner, president of the National
Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), the largest certification
organization for technicians in the country.
"What ASE-certified technicians are saying is that airbags are an
important automotive safety feature when used in combination with seat belts
and other precautions, regardless if you are a driver or passenger."
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration recommends the
following to gain the full safety benefits airbags:
-- Always buckle your seat belt.
-- Always place an infant in a rear-facing infant seat in the back
seat.
-- Always transport children 1 to 12 years old in the back seat and
use appropriate child restraints.
-- Maintain 10 inches between the center of the airbag cover and your
breastbone.
"These master technicians are in tune with everything automotive related.
They have the experience and insight that makes them experts," Steve Kirchner,
Valvoline's vice president of worldwide marketing, said.
Other survey findings regarding safety issues include:
-- Nearly 70 percent of technicians say the cellular phone is the
most important safety item for drivers to carry with them in their
vehicles, followed by a tire jack and tire tool (22 percent).
Also getting votes: flashlight (5 percent), jumper cables (2 percent) and
tire inflator or air pump (2 percent).
-- Despite being the No. 1 safety item, the cellular phone also is
most likely to be hazardous to a person's ability to drive safely,
one-fourth of technicians say. However, reading a book, newspaper
or magazine is the most hazardous driver activity (55 percent),
technicians say. Fifteen percent see grooming oneself in the
rearview mirror as most distracting while only 2 percent consider
eating a snack or drinking a beverage as being most hazardous.
-- Technicians are more concerned about who's driving rather than how
fast they're going. Asked what would most make America's roadways
safer, only 3 percent said reducing the speed limit on highways,
while 38 percent recommended lowering the blood-alcohol content
limit to .08 percent or lower nationwide. Currently, only 15
states use .08 BAC as the barometer for driving while intoxicated.
Requiring people 70 or older to pass a driving skills test
annually was a close second recommendation (34 percent), followed
by raising the minimum age for a driver's license to 18 (21 percent).
Other categories technicians voiced their opinions on include:
Environment
-- Technicians are thinking green when it comes to air quality.
Ninety percent feel automotive emissions inspections are necessary
at least every other year. Of that 90 percent, more than half
feel emissions tests are necessary once or twice a year.
Cars of the Past and Future
-- Master technicians overwhelmingly picked the GTO (41 percent) as
the muscle car from the 1960s and '70s they would most like to see
make a comeback, followed by the Road Runner (14 percent) and
Mustang (10 percent). Rounding out their favorites are the
Barracuda (8 percent), Chevelle (6 percent) and Challenger (5
percent).
-- Forty-six percent of master technicians believe a combination of
electricity and a low-emission internal combustion engine is most
likely to become the power source for most automobiles 20 or 30
years from now. A combination of electricity and natural gas or
propane came in second (23 percent), followed by electricity (14
percent) and a low-emission internal combustion engine (13
percent).
Maintenance/Business
-- Technicians are adamant on the subject of servicing automotive
air-conditioning systems, with 92 percent recommending R-12,
commonly known as Freon, or R-134a, the only OEM-approved
replacement refrigerant for vehicles designed to use R-12. Just 3
percent recommend an alternative refrigerant.
Auto Racing
-- When it comes to competition, NASCAR Winston Cup blows away all
other major racing circuits, technicians say. A whopping 70
percent cited Winston Cup as the most competitive form of
professional racing, followed by the National Hot Rod Association
(10 percent) and Formula One (7 percent). Surprisingly, the Indy
Racing League took third with (5 percent) over the CART FedEx
Championship series (2 percent).
Celebrities
-- When it comes to road trips, technicians prefer to ride side-by-side
with actress Sally Field over the king of vacationers, Chevy
Chase. Thirty-three percent chose Field, the free-spirited
sidekick in Smokey and the Bandit, as their top "shotgun" choice;
Chase was a close second with 32 percent of the vote. Taking a
back seat to those two big screen stars were fellow actors Steve
Martin of Planes, Trains and Automobiles (18 percent), Geena Davis
of Thelma and Louise (12 percent) and Dean Jones of The Love Bug
(3 percent).
-- Amid all the road slicks and smoke caused by recent scandals,
President Bill Clinton still drives the country - and he would
make a great race car driver, according to technicians. Twenty-eight
percent believe Clinton would make the best race car driver
based on his ability to steer the presidency through difficult
times. Former president Ronald Reagan finished second 24 percent
of the vote, followed by George Bush (16 percent), Richard Nixon
(15 percent) and Jimmy Carter (8 percent).
Fleishman-Hillard Research of St. Louis completed the telephone survey in
June, interviewing a national sample of 200 ASE master technicians. Sample
error is plus or minus seven percentage points.
ASE, established in 1972, offers a nationwide testing and certification
program for automobile, truck and collision repair technicians, engine
machinist technicians, and parts specialists, twice a year. Master
technicians are those who pass eight of ASE's automotive tests - engine
performance, engine repair, automatic transmission, manual drive train and
axles, suspension and steering, heating and air-conditioning, electrical and
electronic systems, and brakes.
Valvoline motor oil is the No. 1 choice of top mechanics for use in their
own vehicles. Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc. , has been
serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil company and is a
leading innovator and supplier of quality, high-performing automotive and
industrial products in more than 100 countries. Best known for its
lubricants, Valvoline also markets Eagle One appearance products, Zerex
antifreeze/coolant, SynPower Performance Products and Pyroil automotive
chemicals and refrigerants.