Fatal car fires from rear-end crashes: the effects of fuel tank placement before and after regulation.

A federal standard for fuel tank integrity in cars was applied to 1977 and subsequent models. National data indicate that fatalities per 10,000 occupants in rear-end crashes of small cars, where fire was the most harmful event, were reduced by approximately 57% if the fuel tank was located behind the rear axle and 77% if the tank was situated directly above or in front of the rear axle.