Abstract
About 11,000 air cushion-equipped cars have been put on the road by General Motors, including fleet Chevrolets in the field trial program and privately owned 1974-76 Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs. Although these vehicles have accumulated over 400 million car miles, the total is very small compared with the mileage being driven by the entire vehicle population. Therefore, statistically valid conclusions cannot yet be drawn about the safety benefits of the system. Nevertheless, sampling of accidents illustrates the protection provided by the air cushion in a variety of situations. (A)