European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the so amp is and stripes automotive monday june 20, 1994 knowing what to look for in car insurance can save big Money. A few tips from the National association of Independent insurers a shop. The insurance business is competitive with More than 1,400 companies offering coverage. One company a rates can be anywhere from $240 to $300 lower than another a. Yet studies show most Consumers go to just one agent or company. Check with an insurance agent about premiums on different cars before buying. Some models Cost More to insure because they Are expensive to replace and repair or Are favorite targets of thieves. A discounts common Money savers include Safe Driver no at fault accidents in the last three to five year Multi car or Home owner car insurance packages a student with Good grades completing Drivers education or defensive driving courses and equipment such As air bags anti lock brakes and anti theft devices a deductibles raising the deductible a the amount you pay of a claim a from $100 to $500 for collision coverage or from $50 to $250 for comprehensive coverage can Cut the Premium. But your out of pocket costs Are greater if you do have an Accident. A coverages. Done to include optional coverage for medical payments if you already have Good health insurance coverage through your employer. Skip collision coverage for an older car if the coverage would Cost More than the car is Worth. Know which coverages arc mandatory in your state. A a. Honda exports increased More than 50 percent during the first three months of. 1994 to Lead All North american car manufacturers for the first time officials said thursday. American Honda exported 24,877 cars during the first Quarter of 1994, a 51 percent increase Over figures from the first Quarter of 1993. Honda a figures were far higher than those of its competitors with Ford ranking next with 18,192 exported cars. Following behind were general motors with 16,402 exports Toyota with 11,919 and Chrysler with 8,941, the american automobile manufacturers association said. Honda said its Accord and civic models which Are made in Ohio and Ontario Canada were the top two Export models. The company cited Strong demand for the Accord Wagon in Japan and civic Coupe in Europe. A. South koreans Jaewoo motor co. Will Export 5,000 cars to China in a barter Deal the ministry of Trade Industry and Energy said thursday the Deal agreed upon at talks by Trade ministers in Seoul on Quot thursday requires South Korea to import chinese machinery parts Corn and other agricultural products ministry officials said. It would be the biggest single shipment of South korean automobiles to the rapidly growing chinese Market. China imported 22,000 South korean ears last year. Used South korean ears Are also sold in China illegally. Jaewoo officials said thursday that negotiations Are continuing on Price delivery and other terms Kim Chong do spokesman for Jaewoo motor said the Deal was expected to be formally signed Oer the weekend or Early this week. Three passenger ear models a Drew ooh a Subero Maei i email compact Espero and 2-Iiter engine Sedan Prince a Are being considered for the contract company officials said. A i rom wire reports safety Sells car firms find automakers putting emphasis on devices that help save lives by Anthony giorg1anni Hartford courant in 1966, Congress set up the first Federal Agency to oversee motor vehicle safety standards taking on a responsibility that until then had been left largely to each state. Nearly 30 years later safety is not Only a state and Federal regulatory Issue but also a marketing Issue. Automakers have Learned that air bags Strong doors Antilock brakes and other safety improvements help sell their cars and trucks. According to a november 1993 Survey conducted for prevention Magazine two thirds of adults either agreed strongly or mostly that safety is the most important consideration in buying a new car. So manufacturers a commercials eagerly tout How vehicles already meet new Federal safety standards required Between the a a now and the turn of the Century. And Many car makers Are going even further offering safely devices that go beyond future requirements including Side air bags and built in child safety seats. A _ a there you have a situation where for years manufacturers argued that safety does no to sell and now its the total reversal you have manufacturers falling Over each other trying to explain the safety of their vehicles a said Stephen l. Oesch general counsel for the insurance Institute for Highway safety. The Virginia based nonprofit organization funded by the insurance Industry seeks to identify ways to reduce losses on the highways. Since 1968, what now is known As the National Highway traffic safety administration has adopted dozens of safety standards affecting cars trucks and other motor vehicles. Some standards Are designed to prevent accidents such As those covering brakes lights tires and mirrors. Others arc to help occupants survive collisions such As those governing seat belts air bags and Windshield Glass. And still others protect occupants after a crash such As the rules requiring rupture resistant fuel systems. In the next five years passenger cars will have to meet two significant new a pm. U h j a 11 w a Quot i Al m a a. W a a a m a a m pm a 1 standards. One already being phased in imposes tougher requirements for vehicle Side Impact strength. The second requires cars to be equipped with Driver and passenger air bags by the 1998 Model  series of significant changes already under Way arc bringing Light trucks mini vans and sport Utility vehicles under most of the same safety requirements As automobiles. Historically manufacturers of those so called multipurpose vehicles have been exempt from Many safety requirements or have had a longer period to comply. Ironically some of those vehicles need certain safety features the most consumer groups argue. Minivans for example have partly replaced the station Wagon As the family car and yet have not had to meet safety standards for such features As Side Impact Protection. Sport Utility vehicles with their narrow wheelbase and higher Center of Gravity Are More prone to rolling Over especially if they Are used for off Road driving. Yet they have not had to meet standards for roof crush resistance. No gasoline needed an electro solar bus will soon add an element to conventions in Altenstein wart in Germany a Black Forest the new age vehicle will transport participants Between the Congress centrum Hall and the hotel Sonne bubl. Introduced tuesday by the German firm Debra a.g., the bus runs on batteries that Are charged at night. In addition solar Energy collected during the Day provides the bus with about 10 percent of its Power needs. Finally the Energy from the vehicles brakes converts into electrical Power that is stored in the batteries r crash test sought for Light trucks by Tom 1ncantalupo new Day Federal officials Are proposing that Light trucks which continue to grow in popularity among americans As substitutes for cars be required to provide the same Protection in Side Impact crashes As cars. But the proposal which would phase in tougher standards Over a four year period is being opposed by several automakers including the american big three who question the need for new standards for trucks which they say already offer better Protection in Side in Paet crashes because of their higher ground clearance and other factors. Under the proposal Light trucks weighing less than 5,000 pounds a including minivans pickups and sport Utility vehicles a would have to pass a Side Impact test similar to that now being phased in for ears. In it. The crash of a car travelling at 30 Mph into the Side of another is simulated by crashing a heavy sled into the Side of a car with test dummies in front and rear scats. Some trucks including Chrysler  minivans already can pass that test. But the National Highway traffic safety administration is proposing that Light trucks be required to pass the test with a higher and heavier sled to simulate being broadside by another truck. Such a requirement could Force car makers to change vans such As the newly introduced Ford win Star that already pass the test for cars. It also could Force Chrysler to make last minute changes in its next generation of minivans which Are due for introduction about a year from now As 1996 models and whose design is essentially Complete said Chris Preuss a Chrysler spokesman. Making minivans withstand a strike from a High truck like sled would be particularly difficult he said. A the minivan sits on a platform that a essentially derived from a car a he said. Pickups full sized vans and sport Utility vehicles on the other hand usually Are built on heavier truck Type frames. Sinc they often stand higher off the ground than minivans their heavy frames rather than their bodies Are Likely to take More of the Shock of a Side Impact crash than a minivans Chassis. Its True that trucks generally do better in Side Impact crashes said Chuck Hurley a vice president for the insurance Institute for Highway safety a Trade group. But the group favors the proposed new Standard. A because of their height. They do tend to do Well a Hurley said. A we think they could do even better with the requirements of the proposed  americans bought 5 million Light trucks last year along with 8 million passenger cars. The traffic safety administration says 245 people die in trucks each year in Side Impact crashes and 970 Are seriously Hurt. Car makers and others have two months to comment on the proposed regulation. The four year phase in would begin two years after the issuance of a final Rule by the safety Agency