Airbags Make A Difference In Side Crash Tests

The 2006 Ford Fusion received poor marks in offering motorists’ protection in side crashes, according to test results released Sunday by the insurance industry. The Fusion, a midsize sedan starting at $17,795, received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s lowest mark on side-impact tests conducted on a model without optional side air bags. On frontal crash tests, the Fusion received the institute’s second-best mark of acceptable.