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New Cars Will find it Harder to Pass Safety Tests

The decline in fatality rates in accidents across the country can be traced in part to the safer automobiles that Americans are now driving around, compared to a couple of decades ago.  But now, automobile makers are going to find it harder to engineer their cars to do well on safety tests. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has said that it is going to make it more difficult for automobiles to receive top grades on their safety tests.

The Insurance Institute has announced that beginning with 2010 models of cars, it will not grant its “Top Safety Pick” award to any automobile that doesn’t have a good rating on roof strength. Besides, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also preparing a stronger crash testing system for 2011 models, beginning from next year. This new crash testing system will include a tough new side impact test, which involves crashing the vehicle into a pole. The system will also have a new overall safety rating.

What all these changes mean is that it’s going to be harder for automakers to get five-star ratings on the agency’s automobile safety rating systems. Fewer automobiles will be able to get the Insurance Institute’s top safety recognition.  This year, as many as 84 vehicles found themselves eligible for the award.

The intention is to place pressure on automakers to design their cars to higher standards of safety than before. What the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety plan to do is raise the bar for automobile safety standards. Older performances on these standards will not be enough to be blessed with the Insurance Institute’s top award.

Lower ratings and scores will not be taken to mean that these automobiles have suddenly become less safe. It merely means that automakers will now have to push the envelope to meet the tougher new standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

The decision to make it harder for automakers to receive top scorings on safety tests comes because there are far too many models in the market, all of them having the same kind of high scores. This makes it harder for consumers to choose. With newer and tougher standards, automakers will not find it as easy to get high scores on safety tests, which means that only those models that do meet the enhanced standards will come with high ratings.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is currently focusing on roof strength, and last week, released the results of a new roof strength test. Six mini cars were rated for their ability to withstand the roof crush that occurs after a rollover accident.  Roof collapses are responsible for serious injuries in a rollover accident. The Chevrolet Aveo from General Motors rated the lowest, while the Smart Fortwo scores highest on the test.

The IIHS is continuing its roof crush ratings, even though the new federal standards have not yet been implemented. The Insurance Institute says it wants to reward auto makers who are already designing cars with sturdier roofs to protect occupants in a rollover accident. California rollover accident lawyers believe that this will make it easier for consumers to choose vehicles that are strong enough to protect them in an accident.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of rollover accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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