At 12:00 AM 8/10/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Date:    Tue, 7 Oct 2003 21:56:52 -0500
>From:    Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
>Subject: Re: crash test score
>
> > > According to the National Highway Transportation Safety
>Administration
> > > the
> > > Vanagon rates lowest (1 point) on a 4 point scale for Frontal
>Impact
> > > Safety, refernece:
> > > http://www.crashtest.com/explanations/archive/crash.htm
>
>which is a bit odd, since my insurance company, USAA, gives me a
>"safe-car" discount on my 91 and 88 buses. seems their data shows
>that by sitting up higher than the wheels, the vanagon has fewer
>and less severe medical injuries in daily-driving accidents. i
>prefer to think that sitting up high gives me better visibility
>to avoid accidents. :)

   Same here in Oz...my T3 is in the cheapest possible car insurance
   catagory due to it's safety record for the reasons Joel mentions
   above and also because it is not the target of thieves as it isn't
   seen as a joy-riding or get-away vehicle...can't understand that one
   myself...but I like it ;)

   When the T3 Transporter was the current VW model I remember it
   was considered the safest forward control van on the market.
   Maybe the T3 isn't as safe compared to some new vehicles but to be
   fair,you gotta compare like vehicles of the same era that were built
   under the same design rule criteria of the time.

   Steve O
   NSW Australia
   '92 Transporter WBX Kombi
   '00 Transporter Double Cab
   '03 Transporter Double Cab (work truck)