Tag Archive for 'Top Safety Picks'

Since 2006, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests each car model for sale in the United States in several crash scenarios.  They run them into walls, barriers, other cars, poles, all the major accident types.  Speeds range from 5 mph to 40 mph, and all of the results are analyzed and finally tallied.  The vehicles which earn “good” ratings in each of the 4 tests are added to the “Top Safety Picks” list for that model year.  This year, the IIHS added a “roof stability” test, which pushes a metal plate at a constant speed into one half of the roof of a vehicle.  How well the car sustains this crushing force determines its score.

With this new test, recent winners such as Toyota, BMW and Mazda were left out in the cold.  Chrysler modified its seats and head rests in order to garner better crash ratings for its vehicles, as did GM to get its Malibu on the list.  Read on after the list to see how each manufacturer did.

Continue reading ‘The Safest Cars in America: IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2010′