Insurance company claim departments collect information on loss payments for vehicles that they insure. The data includes how often collision claims are made on specific types of vehicles and for how much. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) compiles these statistics annually.

HLDI's best and worst collision coverage results for 1997-1999 models are provided. Findings show that the collision coverage claims experience does not change substantially from model year to model year, if the basic design remains essentially unchanged.

The differences in theft losses in the best and worst passenger vehicle categories show great disparity. The Dodge Viper's average overall theft loss or average loss payment per insured vehicle year is nearly seven times greater than the best vehicle, the Honda Odyssey. And in the average loss payment per claim category, the Viper outweighs the Honda Odyssey with a loss payment of nearly nine times that of the passenger van.

Large passenger and cargo vans tend to have the lowest insurance losses, while sports and midsize luxury models, and some midsize SUVs have the highest. Vehicle size strongly affects collision losses. Smaller, sportier cars and midsize SUVs have higher claims frequency and average loss payments per claim.

Bumpers that protect cars from damage in low-speed collisions aren't a new idea. Around 1915, before automakers even started equipping cars with bumpers, dealers supplied them as add-ons. The bumpers in the 1920s and '30s were quite sturdy. Five mph bumper tests as early as 1931 resulted in virtually no damage to the vehicle.

The first federal bumper standard started with 1973 models when 5 mph front-into-flat-barrier and 2.5 mph rear-into-barrier requirements were introduced. The following year rear impact speed was increased to 5 mph.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a bumper standard requirement prohibiting all but very minor cosmetic bumper damage starting with 1980 models. The effects were dramatic. Cars were designed to withstand low-speed impacts with virtually no damage. Despite the success of this standard, the DOT bowed to pressure from automakers and rolled back requirements from 5 to 2.5 mph for 1983 and later models and relaxed the no-damage bumper standard.

Current bumper standards specify that bumpers and safety-related equipment must withstand a 2.5 mph crash without sustaining damage. This applies to passenger cars only. It does not include minivans despite the fact that they accounted for 10% of all new passenger vehicles purchased in 1997. A new underride protection standard was issued in 1996 to reduce the problem of passenger vehicles sliding underneath trucks and trailers. The maximum guard-to-ground clearance on these vehicles was reduced from 30 inches to 22 inches.

Up to now, a car's make and model has not affected personal passenger auto insurance liability premiums, only premiums for collision and comprehensive. Some companies are evaluating sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and the costly harm they can inflict on smaller vehicles and their occupants.

Pickups and SUVs have below-average insurance claims losses under collision coverage but higher than average property damage liability losses, according to a study released by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) in February, 1998. Property damage liability claims for large utility vehicles are nearly one-third higher than the average loss payment for all passenger vehicles. On the upside, large SUVs have the lowest overall collision coverage losses, averaging about 40% below that of other passenger vehicles.

Sport utilities are generally larger than standard vehicles and have higher bumpers, which in a crash can sometimes override the occupant protection features of other passenger vehicles. SUVs such as the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban can weigh up to 6,000 pounds, almost twice the typical midsize sedan weighing 2,900 to 3,300 pounds.

Bumpers should protect car bodies from damage in low-speed collisions, the kind that frequently occur in congested urban traffic. The Institute conducts these four tests to assess bumper performance. The chart below shows the results of some of the newer IIHS-tested models using the four different barrier tests at 5 mph. The first two, front- and rear-into-flat barrier, measure a bumper's overall energy-absorbing capabilities. The impact is spread over the whole face of the bumper with no reason for any car to sustain damage in either test.

The other tests, front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole, measure primarily the strength of the bumper reinforcement beam. These tests are more demanding because they are more representative of real crashes and involve concentrations of crash energy at specific locations.

Recent bumper tests are starting to prove that you don't have to give up safety for size. The latest evidence is the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle that survived IIHS' 40 mph test better than any small car that has ever been tested. Redesign of both the Toyota Previa, now known as the Toyota Sienna, and the Volkswagen Passat earned both 1998 models "Best Picks" ratings from the Institute.

Barrier tests at any speed are more demanding for heavier vehicles than lighter ones, so the only meaningful comparisons are among vehicles of similar weight classes. For comparison purposes, vehicles are grouped with competing models that the IIHS has tested.