Autos: It Also Depends on the Driver

General Motors' sales have been badly hurt by the furor over auto safety. The special target of Author Ralph Nader (Unsafe at Any Speed) and other industry critics has been G.M.'s sporty little rear-engine Corvair. The 1960-63 models of the car had an axle design that was criticized for causing the rear wheels to "tuck under," thereby enhancing the possibility of rolls and skids. Partly due to such publicity, Corvair sales so far this year have been half those for the same period in 1965.

G.M. has been the defendant in no fewer than 130 lawsuits charging that negligent design caused Corvair accidents. Two of the cases have been decided in favor of G.M., eight have been dismissed or withdrawn, and nine have been settled out of court. In only one case has General Motors been found guilty; that case is under appeal.

Last week still another Corvair damage case was ruled upon. A Los Angeles judge decided in favor of G.M. in a $250,000 suit resulting from the 1960 death of a 16-year-old boy. The judge, who observed that the lad had had little experience as a driver and had been speeding, found that "the Corvair matches a standard of safety which does not create any unreasonable risk to an average driver."