Top Auto Safety Picks for 2010: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Annual Awards

Author: Attorney David M. Williams

How does your vehicle measure up if it is involved in a crash? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded its annual “Top Safety Pick” awards on November 18, 2009, to the following passenger cars and sport utility vehicles:

SMALL CARS

Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional stability control
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Subaru Impreza (except WRX)
Volkswagen Golf 4-door

SMALL SUV’S

Honda Element
Jeep Patriot (with optional side torso airbags)
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan

MIDSIZE CARS

Audi A3
Chevrolet Malibu (built after November 2009)
Chrysler Sebring 4-door with optional electronic stability control
Dodge Avenger with optional electronic stability control
Mercedes C class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Passat sedan
Volvo C30

MIDSIZE SUV’S

Dodge Journey
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90

LARGE CARS

Buick LaCrosse
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80

The Ford Motor Company and its Volvo unit was the big winner with six (6) awards, followed by Japanese automaker Subaru and German automaker Volkswagen and its Audi unit, which received five (5) awards. The world’s biggest automaker by sales, Toyota and its Lexus and Scion subsidiaries, did not receive a single award this year despite receiving eleven (11) in 2009.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety describes itself as “an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses – deaths, injuries and property damage – from crashes on the nation’s highways.” Their mission is shared and supported by the Highway Loss Data Institute, which conducts scientific studies of insurance data on the losses resulting from auto crashes. Both organizations are wholly supported /funded by the nation’s leading auto insurers.

The Institute has been conducting crash tests since their founding in 1959. Their “Top Safety Pick” is an annual award to vehicles based upon their crashworthiness and how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash. The Institute determines crashworthiness based on a vehicle’s performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. Vehicles are rated as good, acceptable, marginal or poor. To earn a “Top Safety Pick” for 2010, a vehicle must have a good rating in all Institute tests…plus the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control.

This year marked the first time the Institute required a good performance rating in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover crash. This tougher requirement dramatically reduced the number of awards – from 72 winners in 2009 – to 27 winners for 2010.

For past winners and additional information on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ….check out their website at www.iihs.org.

About the Author: David Williams is a Fredericksburg personal injury lawyer with Allen & Allen.

---