Four Small SUVs Earn Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given its Top Safety Pick award to four small sport utility vehicles (SUV) after conducting crash test evaluations. The best performers include the 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue and 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, automakers are improving the crashworthiness of their vehicles and have been installing side airbags and electronic stability control, which is a crucial crash avoidance feature, on more models. The Institute completed front, side and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUVs and for the first time, all the vehicles came with electronic stability control as a standard feature.

During the crash test evaluations, the Institute assigns a rating based on results of front and side crash tests, as well as an analysis of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash in rear-end collisions. The four SUVs that earned the award this year had good ratings in all three of the Institute’s evaluations and come with standard electronic stability control and side airbags.

"In the latest tests, the Tiguan's performance is a standout," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "It sailed through the front and side crash tests without a single downgrade for structure or measures of injury likelihood recorded on the dummy. This is 1 of 4 models in this group that afford superior crash protection in their class. This is a huge change from just 5 years ago when most small SUVs were rated either marginal or poor in our side test, and standard side airbags and electronic stability control were rare."

Electronic stability control has become an important feature in vehicles as it helps drivers avoid many accidents. Drivers are able to maintain control in the worst situation, which is the loss of control at high speed. Electronic stability control engages automatically when it senses vehicle instability and brings the vehicle back into the intended line of travel. This device performs this function often without the driver’s knowledge. It is believed to lower the risk of a fatal single-vehicle accident by 50 percent and a fatal rollover crash by as much as 70 percent.

The Institute has found that over the last several years, automakers have been making improvements to their vehicles that provide protection in side impact accidents. Some of these improvements include side airbags.

For more information regarding the Institute’s crash test evaluations, read the full release at Iihs.org.

If you have been injured in a Florida car crash, contact an experienced car accident attorney at the Law Offices of William K. Saron at (866) 836-4947 or (727) 345-4566 for expert legal advice. We will help you recover damages for your car accident case.