A study commissioned by Bloomberg, conducted by Stout Risius Ross, revealed that Volkswagen’s rate of injury or fatal crashes reported by the automaker was significantly lower than 11 other automakers and nine times less than the industry average.
“The data demonstrates that even on a fleet-adjusted basis, the number of reported incidents by Volkswagen is significantly below what one would expect based on those reported by other automakers,” Neil Steinkamp, a Stout Risius managing director, told Bloomberg. “They are also significantly below the reporting of automakers that have already been cited for non-compliance.”
The report calls into question whether Volkswagen has been accurately reporting crashes, as required by law. Volkswagen didn’t comment on the report.
Last month, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported that it had under-reported death and injury claims to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act. Earlier this year, Honda was fined $70 million for its errors in reporting under the law.
According to Bloomberg, an auto watchdog group said the low numbers from Volkswagen indicated that the automaker may not be correctly reporting safety data.
“NHTSA doesn’t have the resources to police all of this, but now they’re asking the automakers to tell them whether they’re in compliance,” Clarence Ditlow, executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, told Bloomber. “For the automakers, it’s a time of reckoning.”
Volkswagen reported 34 serious crashes for every million cars, according to the data. By comparison, General Motors reported 524 crashes per million vehicles and Nissan reported 78 crashes per million. Honda and FCA, who admitted they under-reported, reported 78 and 101 crashes per million respectively.
So Volkwagens are nine times safer than industry-average. That’s very impressive.
Breaking News! VW was founded by the Nazi’s! Also it was revealed, that TOYOTA was involved as we’ll , with the Nazi’s
Once everyone knows your organization lies and cheats, everything gets looked at again!
So the VW “data” indicates they are just a tick below an order of magnitude safer than the rest of the entire industry.
If you believe a variance that big is legit, I have some ocean front property in Arizona I’d like to discuss with you…
That’s easily explained: their cars were in the shop more than other brands, and/or were inoperable for longer periods while awaiting parts, or the owners’ next paycheck to pay for the parts. In any event, one statistical study proves nothing.
Lmaoooo! Thanks for the laugh.
“Volkswagen reported 34 serious crashes for every million cars, according to the data. By comparison, General Motors reported 524 crashes per million vehicles and Nissan reported 78 crashes per million. Honda and FCA, who admitted they under-reported, reported 78 and 101 crashes per million respectively.”
There is one other number that does not fit in this paragraph… Why are GM’s numbers so high?!
I blame GM’s high numbers on elderly Buick drivers accidently stepping on the gas instead of the brake and launching their cars into swimming pools and restaurants.
Nah, the pictures I’ve seen of cars in pools and restaurants are not Buicks, but German cars and SUVs/Cuvs/crossovers that were driven too fast. Nobody accuses elderly Buick drivers of going too fast. Sideswiping parked cars, backing into parked cars, hitting telephone poles/signposts/hydrants? Yup.
Has “VW Death Watch” been mentioned yet?
Up next: improper nutrition in the food served in VW’s cafeterias. Film at 11!
The people responsible for past death watch series are no longer with this web site. Now it’s “We Report, The B&B Speculates”.
The cause is obvious. VW drivers are sooo much more skilled than non-VW drivers. At least that’s what VW drivers seem to want everyone to believe.
Does this include accidents caused by loss of control after dried trim adhesive gets into the driver’s eyes?
When vision is obscured by a falling headliner?
When first responders cannot access the occupant because of a broken door handle?
When occupants can’t escape a vehicle because the interior door pull has disintegrated?
When an owner suffers a stroke after reading a repair estimate for a scrambled key that requires a $1200 instrument cluster because that’s where the immobilizer is ?
C’mon, it’s the rain blowing in the driver’s face through his/her window (which is open because the window regulator clips have failed) that causes most of the unreported accidents.