What Affects Car Saftey Ratings
People are using the internet to make better buying decisions for new and used vehicles, and car safety ratings are something that buyers are placing more emphasis on than ever before. While most drivers want to purchase a vehicle that is as safe as possible, many consumers still don't understand how car safety ratings are determined and what they actually mean.
Factors Affecting Car Safety Ratings
It's difficult to assess an overall car safety rating for a vehicle without first addressing various criteria that make a vehicle safe. Organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have helped develop certain categories for determining safety in all types of vehicles. Those categories are: crash protection, accident avoidance and rollover resistance.
Crash Protection - Perhaps the most widely considered aspect of car safety is how well a particular vehicle helps protect occupants from injury in the event of an accident. Factors important to crash protection include safety belts, air bag systems and other protective equipment. Cars are rated on how well the frame of a vehicle holds up in an accident. Many vehicles use “crumple zones” in the front that have been designed and engineered to collapse, to help absorb crash energy and minimize damage to the passenger cabin.
Accident Avoidance - Cars are also rated on how well they are able to avoid accidents. Elements such as braking, emergency handling, acceleration, visibility and even seat comfort all affect accident avoidance. The NHTSA and IIHS both perform tests that help determine how well a particular vehicle can avoid an accident.
Rollover Resistance - Rollovers are something that is more of a concern for SUV and minivan owners than standard passenger car owners. Rollover resistance refers to how well a particular vehicle is designed in order to avoid being top-heavy, and possibly rolling over in sudden cornering maneuvers or sharp curves. Rollovers may also be a concern when a tire blows out on an SUV or minivan. In fact, the NHTSA has developed a separate safety rating called the Rollover Resistance Rating, which helps consumers know which minivans and SUVs are the safest.
Other Safety Factors to Consider
Although the above safety factors are often considered the most important, there are other areas that can affect the car safety reports on a particular vehicle. For example, factors such as head restraints, electronic stability control, blind spots, load capacity and child safety are all important to consider when determining the overall safety rating.
When trying to choose a vehicle that is considered safe, you should visit websites like SafeCar.gov, ConsumerReports.org and MotorTrend.com. All of these websites have excellent information about published car safety ratings for most popular vehicles sold in the United States and Canada. Spending a little time researching the safety rating of vehicles you may be interested in is always an excellent idea, and could help you and your family escape injury - or worse - in the future.
