Safety Question - Crash Test Results - Saturn SL1

First time post, so please bear with me. My wife and I are expecting our first child in a few weeks. The primary car that will transport mother and baby is, for now, a 2001 Saturn SL1. It is the predecessor to the ION series. It is a small sedan. I looked at the IIHS/NHTSA crash test ratings for this car and it did fine on offset and frontal tests, but performed poorly on the side impact test. According to the NHTSA star system, it rec'd 2 stars indicating that there is a 25% chance of a serious injury. That being said, their test is based on an adult in the backseat passenger and driver side. We are more concerned about our child. We have a child car seat that will be in the middle position in the back seat. Should this give us less reason to be concerned about a side-impact score? With the child sitting in the car seat, in the back-middle position, what is the best thing to look at in a car? I'd like to get a newer car with better crash-test results, but if the side impact isn't much of an issue for the baby in the car seat in the middle, it may not be necessary right now. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
sambaltus

Congratulations on the new baby from another Saturn owner. I drive a Sienna minivan now but my DH currently drives a Saturn L100 mid-size sedan, and we previously owned a SL1, SW1, SC1 and Vue. Love those plastic body panels.

Generally speaking, the middle is considered the safest spot in the back seat, with the side positions being about equal to each other in their degree of safety and statistical frequency of side impact collisions. Recently there has been some evidence to suggest the difference in safety between the center and the side positions is not as significant as previously believed according to the guru of this board, CPSDarren. I'm sure he will chime in here at some point with his knowledge. Personally I still prefer to install one of my two DD's carseats in a middle position whenever possible when I change cars or switch around their carseats.

If you do decide to shop for a new car, I strongly recommend side curtain airbags for all rows because cars equipped with side curtain airbags generally perform better in side impact crash tests. Even with a child in a carseat installed in the middle of the back seat, the side curtain airbags would offer front seat occupants more protection. There also may be times where you would have additional rear seat passengers or future children who may ride on the sides in the back seat.

That being said, some cars don't perform very well in side impact crash tests even when equipped with side curtain airbags, so looking at crash test results is still a very good idea when selecting a car equipped with the airbags. FYI, examples of cars with poor or marginal side impact test scores even with side curtain airbags include the Saturn Ion and my DH's (discontinued) Saturn L-series model if you're thinking about getting another Saturn.

I also think vehicle stability control is a must have in a new car, especially for a van or SUV, but stability control does offer a greater degree of safety in a car as well.

Congrats again on the new baby and imminent parenthood.

I owned a Saturn SL2 for many years. At the time, it was among the safest compact cars available. Since then, many new models have far surpassed it- notably the latest Honda Civic.

I'd definitely insist on side curtain airbags if you are buying a brand new vehicle, especially if it is possible you would keep it long enough until your child would be in a booster. Stability control is also a key feature, especially for a minivan or SUV.

For now, your child will be very safe in a rear-facing carseat, provided it is correctly installed and used in the back seat of your SL2. The adults in the vehicle probably face a much greater risk of injury.