Crash test 101
How crash worthiness is measured and how crash ratings can help you choose your next car
Although vehicles in general are much safer in collisions than they used to be, more than 20,000 people traveling in passenger vehicles still die in crashes every year. Many factors contribute to fatal crashes, including hazardous driving, failure to wear safety belts, poor road conditions, and the vehicle's dynamic abilities to avoid a crash. There can be no question, the actual vehicle you're in when a crash does occur can make a life-or-death difference.
Crash tests provide insight into the protection offered by different vehicles. As a secondary benefit, the published crash ratings encourage automakers to make ongoing improvements. But with two primary testing organizations (government and insurance industry), multiple tests conducted on each car, and competing manufacturer claims, it can be difficult to sort through the data. This crash-test primer will enable you to understand the information that matters most.
Structural design and safety systems determine how well a vehicle protects its occupants. But it is only independent crash testing under controlled conditions that tells us how well the key components work together. A crash test may reduce the vehicle to a shattered wreck, yet good structural design keeps passenger-space intrusion to a minimum. Important safety systems such as safety belts, air bags, and head restraints serve a vital role, by restraining, positioning, and cushioning occupants as much as possible.
The two independent crash-test information sources are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a branch of the Department of Transportation, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a safety-research group sponsored by the insurance industry. Using different methodologies, both organizations conduct front and side-impact crash tests. NHTSA also tests for rollover propensity and the IIHS evaluates rear-crash protection and roof strength.
See videos of how cars perform in IIHS' front and side crash tests.
