Higher crash test standards a mistake?

It was reported on MSNBC that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is going to increase the standards by which they measure cars in crash tests.  What that means is that a car that may have gotten a 5-star crash test rating a year ago could suddenly plummet to a 3-star rating without performing any differently.  Most see the increase in safety standards as a positive step towards making safer cars since manufacturers will likely compete in the American market for the much coveted, and soon-to-be more elusive, 5-star safety rating.  What it really means is that cars will now have to be heavier and more bulky in order to add the extra safety features required to score higher on the new tests.  This weight and bulk will degrade handling and performance - two things that can help you avoid an accident.

Some manufacturers are not happy with the decision to increase crash safety standards.  While auto makers are seemingly never happy to have any sort of standards imposed on them from the government, in this case I can see their point.  I would normally applaud the move towards safer cars, but in this case I think they are taking a step in the wrong direction.  A spokesperson for Volvo was quoted in the article as saying that the best way to improve car safety was to help the drivers avoid accidents, not assume that they will get in them and then try and beef up the cars from there.

Simply by working on things such as traction control, stability control, automatic braking, and ergonomics to make sure that the driver’s head is looking outside and not at the dash is a much more efficient way of protecting drivers.  Leave the crash test standards as they are, and add separate ratings for accident avoidance technology, that will avoid confusion with different ratings for different model years and give the NHTSA something new to test - and that should make them happy.