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Study: Six small cars earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Sedan, Safety, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Scion, Volkswagen

2013 Honda Civic Sedan IIHS crash test
IIHS Top Safety Pick + Award
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety has released the results of its latest small overlap front crash tests, and there’s a surprise among small cars. IIHS tested 12 cars, half of which managed “Good” or “Acceptable” ratings overall, qualifying them for the the coveted Top Safety Pick+.

Top Safety Pick+ is still a fairly rare achievement since the new small overlap crash tests were instituted, as it’s taken manufacturers time to design, engineer, build and bring to market cars that can score well on the new metric.

The overlap front crash test covers the car’s structure, restraint systems and kinematics, as well as measuring the “injuries” the crash test dummy’s heads, necks, chests, hips, thighs, legs and feet.

The highest scorers were the Honda Civic Sedan, followed closely by the Civic Coupe. These were also the only two to earn overall scores of “Good.” The Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Scion tC all earned acceptable scores overall, which was still enough to qualify them for the TSP+ rating. The bottom half of the test included the Chevrolet Sonic, Volkswagen Beetle, Chevrolet Cruze, Nissan Sentra, Kia Soul and Kia Forte.

Only 25 models have earned the TSP+ rating so far, which requires cars to earn “Good” ratings for occupant protection in four out of five tests, while scoring at least an acceptable on the fifth test.
Click through for the full press release from IIHS, as well as a video

Continue reading Six small cars earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards [w/video]

Six small cars earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: IIHS tests brace of new small cars, many earn Top Safety Pick status [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

2011 nissan juke crash test

Small cars score big in latest IIHS crash tests – Click above to watch video after the jump

Thirteen enter, six leave … with Top Safety Pick awards. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spent some time driving (and smashing) a big group of small cars. Six of those cars received top honors from the IIHS by scoring a rating of “Good” across the board. The 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Honda Civic sedan, 2011 Hyunda Elantra, 2011 Lexus CT200h, 2011 Nissan Juke and 2011 Toyota Prius are all the small-car place to be in the event of an accident.

This crop of small cars are also quite fuel efficient. All vehicles in the top six offer a version that gets at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

The rest of the vehicles tested faired well. Only the older Suzuki SX4 and Dodge Caliber received “Mediocre” ratings in some categories. Every car tested, however, received multiple “Good” ratings. Click past the jump to watch the IIHS talk about about the small car crash tests. Also, be sure to check out the breakdown of the ratings by vehicle (pdf file).

Continue reading IIHS tests brace of new small cars, many earn Top Safety Pick status [w/video]

IIHS tests brace of new small cars, many earn Top Safety Pick status [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

Filed under: Truck, Safety, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Toyota

2011 Ford F-150 IIHS Full-Size Pickup Rollover Crash Test

IIHS Full-Size Pickup Rollover Crash Testing – Click above for high-res image gallery

Like their body-on-frame SUV cousins, full-size pickup trucks are more prone to roll over than a standard passenger car. That’s exactly why it’s so important to have a vehicle that earns good marks in roof-strength tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just released the data on its recent volley of tests on full-size pickup trucks, and both the 2011 Ford F-150 and 2011 Toyota Tundra earned the coveted Top Safety Pick designation. The vehicles earned the highest possible rating of ‘good’ in the institutes crush test, where a large steel plate is pressed against one corner of the roof to calculate a strength-to-weight ratio.

Meanwhile, the 2011 Nissan Titan took home an acceptable rating in the rollover evaluation while the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, 2011 GMC Sierra and 2011 Ram 1500 netted marginal scores.

IIHS says that the roof on the Toyota Tundra stood up to 4.5 times the truck’s weight while the F-150 handled 4.7 times the pressure. A vehicle must withstand 4 times its weight before five-inches of crush is detected before being awarded a Good rating. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Safety, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Nissan, Electric

chevy volt crash test

Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf Crash Tests – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has completed its first test of mainstream plug-in vehicles, and both the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2011 Nissan Leaf have were named “Good” for their front, side, rear, and rollover crash protection. Testing procedures for these plug-in vehicles were exactly the same as for any other automobile the IIHS tests, as they should be.

The two plug-in pioneers join 80 other 2011 vehicles in earning the Top Safety Pick title, thanks to their fine performance in instrumented crash testing and their standard electronic stability control. For what it’s worth, other fuel sippers like the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight have also been named Top Safety Picks in the past. That said, the IIHS has taken issue with some plug-in electric vehicles in the past, specifically the not-quite-a-car NEVs like the Gem e2 or the Wheego Whip.

Of course, we all know how much fun it is to watch brand-new cars being smashed to bits in the name of safety, so we’ve gone ahead and embedded a video of the two plug-ins undergoing the crash testing process. Hit the jump to see for yourself and to check out the official press release.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt crash tests

2011 Chevrolet Volt crash tests

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf crash tests

2011 Nissan Leaf crash tests

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Continue reading Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Hyundai Equus named IIHS ‘Top Safety Pick’

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Hyundai, Luxury

hyundai equus top safety pick

2011 Hyundai Equus IIHS Top Safety Pick – Click above for high-res image gallery

Our long-term Hyundai Equus has already impressed our staff with its copious level of luxury refinement and general largess. Now Hyundai can put another notch in the belt of its luxury sedan after being designated an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick.

The Equus won the award by scoring a “Good” in front, side, rollover and rear crash protection. The Equus also manged to surpass the stringent IIHS requirement for roof strength, as the big sedan was found to have a roof that can support a force equal to 4.87 times its weight. To receive a “Good” score, a roof must be able to support at least four times its weight. The Equus also features electronic stability control; another must-have to receive a Top Safety Pick designation.

Click on the gallery below to see high-resolution pics of a $60,000 luxury sedan getting destroyed in the name of science and safety.

Gallery: Hyundai Equus IIHS Top Safety Pick

Hyundai Equus IIHS Top Safety Pick

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

2011 Hyundai Equus named IIHS ‘Top Safety Pick’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Volvo S60 earns IIHS Top Safety Pick award

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Volvo, Luxury

2012 Volvo S60 IIHS Crash Tests

2012 Volvo S60 IIHS crash tests – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volvo can stick another feather in its safety cap. The 2012 S60 has officially been awarded an IIHS Top Safety Pick judgement by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. That means the sedan managed to net top ratings in all IIHS crash tests, including front, side, rollover and rear evaluations. Vehicles awarded the Top Safety Pick designation must also come standard with electronic stability control.

According to the IIHS, it’s been a while since the S60 has carried the institute’s highest honor. The vehicle’s previous generation had no problem netting good ratings in both front and rear tests, but was only rated as acceptable in side impact evaluations. Additionally, the new roof strength tests weren’t in place for the vehicle’s last iteration. IIHS says that Volvo improved the design of the S60 enough to net higher side impact ratings and pass the new rollover tests with flying colors.

IIHS says that the roof of the S60 stood up to 4.95 times the weight of the vehicle. Currently, the federal standard is only requires a vehicle to withstand a force equivalent to 1.5 times its weight. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2012 Volvo S60 IIHS Crash Tests

[Source: IIHS]

Continue reading 2012 Volvo S60 earns IIHS Top Safety Pick award

2012 Volvo S60 earns IIHS Top Safety Pick award originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IIHS awards Top Safety Pick to 2011 Honda Odyssey, GM Lambda CUVs

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Safety, Crossover, Buick, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Honda

2011 Honda Odyssey IIHS roof test, Top Safety Pick

IIHS roof test on 2011 Honda Odyssey – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced that the 2011 Honda Odyssey, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia have all been named Top Safety Picks, the organization’s highest honor.

The Odyssey is the second minivan to earn the award since IIHS added roof strength requirements to its criteria for earning the Top Safety Pick designation, the other being the Toyota Sienna. Since the Honda minivan had already been tested and rated Good for front, side and rear crash protection, only the roof strength measurement was required this time around.

Similarly, the GMC Acadia was only tested for roof strength as it had already passed the previous crash-testing regimen. The Odyssey’s roof withstood a force more than five times the minivan’s weight; the Acadia managed four times its weight. To put this in context, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand 1.5 times its weight to pass the more lenient federal testing standards.

Because the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave share their architecture with the tested GMC Acadia, those vehicles were also awarded Top Safety Picks. See the photos of the roof testing below and the press release after the break.

Gallery: IIHS roof test on 2011 Honda Odyssey and GMC Acadia

IIHS roof test on 2011 GMC Acadia IIHS roof test on 2011 Honda Odyssey

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Continue reading IIHS awards Top Safety Pick to 2011 Honda Odyssey, GM Lambda CUVs

IIHS awards Top Safety Pick to 2011 Honda Odyssey, GM Lambda CUVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IIHS uses NHTSA data to show its crash test results are right on

Filed under: Safety, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hyundai

Jeep Wrangler Side Impact IIHS

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been testing side-impact crashes since 2003. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been collecting traffic fatality information a lot longer than that. Yet it took until 2011 for IIHS to compare its considerable crash data against NHTSA’s crash mortality data.

As a result, IIHS can now underscore the importance of its crash test scores with credible outside data. Bloomberg reports that the Institute found that drivers of vehicles with an IIHS rating of “Good” for side-impact crashes were 70 percent less likely to die in an accident. That’s the exact type of statistic that can sway shoppers’ purchasing decisions. Further bolstering IIHS’s findings is this nugget: 27 percent of all fatal accidents involved a side-impact collision. For 2011, the Hyundai Accent, two-door Jeep Wrangler and Chevy Colorado all receive “Poor” side impact ratings.

Meanwhile, NHTSA will further regulate vehicle standards beginning in 2018 to include more protection against side impacts as well as occupant ejection in the event of a rollover. Stronger side glass and side-impact airbags are among the available solutions.

[Source: Bloomberg]

IIHS uses NHTSA data to show its crash test results are right on originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IIHS crowned 66 Top Safety Picks in 2011

Filed under: Car Buying, Safety

2011 Buick Regal Crash Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its list of vehicles with the highest crash ratings for 2011. A total of 66 vehicles were awarded the honor of becoming an IIHS Top Safety Pick, with 40 cars, 25 SUVs and one minivan making the cut. As you may recall, the organization awards its Top Safety Pick designation to vehicles that achieve the highest possible rating in front, side, rollover and rear crashes. They also must come equipped with traction control as standard equipment.

This year, Hyundai/Kia and VW/Audi both tied as manufacturers with the highest number of Top Safety Picks with a total of nine winning models. Ford/Lincoln, General Motors and Toyota/Lexus/Scion all took second place with a total of eight Top Safety Picks each. Subaru has managed to retain its title as the only automaker to have a Top Safety Pick designation for every vehicle it sells, too.

Interestingly enough, The Volkswagen Touareg became the only large SUV to take home a Top Safety Pick for 2011, and the 2011 Ford Explorer managed to make its way onto the Top Safety Pick list for the first time in the vehicle’s history. Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: IIHS]

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IIHS crowned 66 Top Safety Picks in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IIHS: New texting laws aren’t reducing accidents

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology, By the Numbers

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just released new findings related to texting-while-driving laws and their effectiveness – the results of which are quite surprising. The Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the IIHS, compiled claim data for four states; California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington. Each state has enacted a ban on texting while driving, and this study examines data for the months before and after the laws went into effect. Earlier this year, the HLDI released data relating to the banning of hand-held cell phones and how those laws had zero effect on crash rates. Its new research refines that study to show that texting bans have produced a more alarming result. In three of the four states examined, crashes increased by three to four percent after the laws were enabled.

Adrian Lund, President of the IIHS and the HLDI, believes the laws do not take into account the overall problem of driving while distracted but merely focus on one aspect of it. Lund states people texted before the laws came into effect and they’re likely doing so after. Drivers may now be texting in ways so as not to get caught doing do, such as lowering their phones and thus drawing their eyes down away from the road. Lund also states that he knows texting while driving is dangerous and there is a crash risk associated with it, but the bans are clearly not reducing that risk.

Not everyone agrees with the IIHS study, however. AAA released a statement today that states, “It is not realistic to expect that simply enacting a law to ban texting while driving will have a large, immediate impact on crash totals in a state in the first months.” The release goes on to add that in addition to laws, public outreach, high-visibility enforcement, substantial penalties and, most importantly, adequate time are needed before a positive effect can be seen. In other words, holds your horses, IIHS. Likewise, The Detroit News D.C. Bureau Chief David Strickland reported live via Twitter from a Senate Commerce meeting today that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland said he has questions about the IIHS study and that NHTSA still wants to get at the worst kinds of distracted driving, not just texting, adding that a bee or insect in the car has been shown to be the most dangerous kind.

So are drivers in these states merely making texting while driving more dangerous by lowering their phones out of view? The IIHS research indicates this might be the case, or the uptick in accidents might just be a correlation and not causal. Either way, automakers are developing more complex systems to take these tasks out of the equation eventually. The Ford Sync system and the upcoming UVO unit from Kia will answer and read your texts for you. OnStar is also working on a way to integrate Facebook into GM vehicles. These ideas sound silly but they may help reduce our need to grab that phone so we can keep our eyes on the road.

Full release available after the jump.

[Source: IIHS | Image: Getty]

Continue reading IIHS: New texting laws aren’t reducing accidents

IIHS: New texting laws aren’t reducing accidents originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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