The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) conducted a survey of owners of General Motors (GM) cars equipped with the Air Cushion Restraint System (ACRS). The objective of the survey was to gather information concerning the accident experience of this group of drivers, as well as other aspects of the "in car" experience with the ACRS. A specific goal was to try to determine whether this survey would uncover cases not already detected by the existing reporting system involving both GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Most of this report is based on information given to us by car owners, and is not otherwise subject to verification. Thus we have summarized the statements given to us in a telephone interview or in writing on the returned postcards. In a number of cases the nature of the owner's response suggests strongly that they did not actually know how the ACRS system is supposed to work. In other cases the owners seemed quite knowledgeable. All responses were accepted as accurate, since there is no independent way of confirming the accuracy of the statements obtained through the mail and telephone surveys. /Author/.
Abstract