Insurance group daftey review of four models of pick-up Tom Incantalupo Newsday, Melville, NY McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
February 11 - A group of insurance is critical for the safety of four very large pickup trucks, saying that despite their size and weight, they are poor or marginal protection for their drivers and passengers side-impact accidents, even with air bags.

In a report to be released today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of the Dodge Ram rate "marginal" with its side-curtain air bags and the Nissan Titan and Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra "poor" in the unprotected side-curtain air bags. Adding Bag option improves Titan "marginal", but not the GM trucks.

"The size, weight and size of those big pick-up should help to ace the next test, like other large pickup we've tested," Institute Senior Vice President David Zuby said in a statement . "Not all three, they perform worse than many cars that we evaluated."

The institute, whose crash tests are more stringent than those conducted by the federal government cited several reasons for the poor or marginal performance, including poor or lack of secondary structures of the air bags designed specifically to protect the occupants of torsos.

The Institute tests side protection beating the sides of cars and trucks to 31 mph with a ram that simulates the front of an SUV or truck. The group describes itself as a nonprofit organization, which aims to reduce the loss of vehicle accidents.

General Motors Janine Fruehan spokesman noted that the federal government gives the pick-up Chevrolet and GMC, which have been redesigned for 2007, a notice of side protection, but added: "The [institute] tests are valid, and we recognize that and we do pay attention to them. "

Chrysler said in a statement that the tests, as the institute are taken into account in engineering safety improvements, but added: "No test can determine a vehicle's overall performance and security."

Nissan said: "We will continue to review, evaluate and, where appropriate, take into account these results and other data from outside."

Three other pick-up already tested by the institute have been awarded "top safety picks", including the just redesigned Ford 150, Toyota Tundra and Honda Ridgeline.

Despite the past year, rising gasoline prices, full-size pickup remain popular. Ford F-Series is the nation the best selling vehicles last year, while the Silverado was second and ninth Ram.