GM on ‘100 deadliest days’ and crash safety efforts
New information from General Motors on its “safety culture” and safety engineering progress notes that the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often referred to as the “100 deadliest days,” especially for teen drivers.
GM says it has advanced vehicle safety over many decades to protect the lives of its customers and their families.
“The people behind this work include the engineers, researchers, and technical experts who are constantly working to reduce crashes, reduce injuries, and build greater confidence and peace of mind for drivers,” a GM press release states.
“At GM, product safety is not just a feature. It is a core value embedded in who we are and how we work, and it is built into every stage of vehicle development — from concept and design to deployment and real-world performance,” said Regina Carto, vice president of Global Product Safety, Systems and Certification, in the release.
GM’s commitment is grounded in a long history of innovation, with the automaker being the first to conduct crash barrier testing in 1934, the release states.
The company had a hand in helping create the first standardized crash test dummies in the early 1970s and began using a crash test dummy representing a fifth-percentile female in the 1980s, according to the release. It notes that decades of testing with a diverse set of dummies are associated with reduced fatalities and injuries for all occupants.
“Today, this legacy can be seen in the contrast between a 1990 Chevrolet Suburban and a 2026 Chevrolet Traverse — a comparison that helps show just how far vehicle safety has come over time. But the message is not only about how far GM has progressed,” the release states. “It is also about how that progress is showing up in today’s GM vehicles.”
GM says that recent findings from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute help reinforce why confidence-building safety features being offered as stand equipment on vehicles, and “within reach” for more households, matters.
The study examined 12 million GM model year 2020-2024 vehicles and matched them to more than 700,000 police-reported crashes across 18 states. The findings showed statistically significant reductions in several crash types, including backing crashes (86%), rear-end crashes with injury (57%), front pedestrian crashes with injury (35%), roadway departure crashes (15%) and lane-change crashes (13%).
“The results of this study give us real-world evidence that GM’s safety technologies are doing exactly what they’re designed to do: helping drivers avoid crashes and reducing injuries in everyday driving environments,” Carto said.
In June, GM gave a crash safety inside look to NBC News:
GM believes its progress reflects a holistic approach to safety by combining research, vehicle technology, and safety advocacy to help improve safety for everyone who shares the road. Doing so includes designing vehicles to better protect people in real-world crashes and working to optimize the post-crash experience for occupants and first responders, the release states.
Recently, GM shared that vehicle owners can now launch the Collision Assistance app on their own for minor incidents that don’t activate an OnStar.
Consumers can also use the app to collect key details at the scene by using the app’s camera and following prompts.
Initially, consumers received a notification about the service only after OnStar was activated. Brian Wakefield, GM director of Global Digital Service Solutions, previously said an example of an incident that may not activate OnStar would be a door hitting another door in a parking lot.
The app, which launched in late 2024, provides consumers with a search tool for certified GM shops, including certified dealer, independent, and MSO shops. John Eck, GM Collision Assistance head of product, said at the time that Collision Assistance provides additional support to consumers following their OnStar experience, including providing information on GM-certified repair shops.
As more families prepare for summer road trips, GM says in its June 24 press release that “advanced safety technology matters, real-world results matter, and customers should be able to find effective safety features in vehicles that are accessible to more households.”
Images
Feature photo: General Motors crash test dummies and the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt on June 18, 2026, at the GM Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. (Credit: John F. Martin/GM)
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt demonstrates Child Obstruction Detection, an Automatic Emergency Braking technology, on June 18, 2026, at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. (Credit: John F. Martin/GM)
The 1990 Chevrolet Suburban and 2026 Chevrolet Traverse are pictured together on June 18, 2026, at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. (Credit: John F. Martin/GM)
Infographic also provided by GM