The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the results of their testing of 2011 passenger vehicles, and more cars than ever have qualified for their highest safety ratings.
Since the standards used by the IIHS are higher than those used by the US Dept. of Transportation, these ratings are pretty significant.
Take a look at:
http://www…fault.aspx
Fascinating.
Thanks, VDCdriver.
NHTSA changed the rating system for 2011. They ave a video that explains the new ratings in broad terms. There is an overall rating that combines all the tests and a tree/telephone pole crash simulation. Apparently too many manufacturers were attaining 5-star ratings, so it’s time to move the bar up. Check it out here:
BTW, I like the IIHS tests, except that neither they nor NHTSA use nose dive when simulating their crashes. I’ve often wondered how cars would fare if they were crashed with this fairly universal attribute. Also, don’t forget the real-world crash statistics tabulated by HLDI in conjunction with IIHS. Actual loss data from almost all auto insurers is interesting if you are in the market for another car.