Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awards vehicle safety honors to models that offer advanced crash prevention and protection features. While it may seem like you hear a lot about automobile recalls in the news, IIHS officials are confident that vehicles have never been safer.<\/p>\n
Each year, the IIHS makes it more difficult for a vehicle to be rated a TOP SAFETY PICK. In 2016, 48 models met the highest TOP SAFETY PICK+ criteria. Another 13 were awarded TOP SAFETY PICK honors.<\/p>\n
To be on the TOP SAFETY PICK list, a vehicle must have at least a \u201cbasic\u201d rated front crash prevention system and a \u201cgood\u201d rating in the tough small overlap crash test. The small overlap crash test is important because about a quarter of serious and fatal injuries that occur in frontal crashes occur in these types of collisions. In order to earn a good rating, the vehicle\u2019s front end must manage the crash energy so that the occupant compartment stays in tact to minimize the injury risk to the driver inside.<\/p>\n
TOP SAFETY PICK+ is the top level award offered by the IIHS. To qualify, a vehicle must earn a \u201cgood\u201d rating in all five IIHS crash worthiness tests and must have an \u201cadvanced\u201d or \u201csuperior\u201d rating for front crash prevention. That means it has to have an effective automatic braking system available, at least as an option. If a vehicle senses an imminent collision and the driver isn\u2019t reacting, then the system kicks in to automatically brake the vehicle to prevent the crash, or at least to reduce the severity.<\/p>\n
In 2016, Toyota leads the way among all manufacturers with nine TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners, including the popular Camry. Other stand-outs include Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen\/Audi, and Volvo.<\/p>\n