Which Vehicles are Safest? . . Super-Star Selection Criteria: .      Super-Stars are vehicles that achieved both "Top Pick" by IIHS and "5-Star Overall" by NHTSA. Beware that even these crash-test Super-Stars are not equivalently safe due to size/weight differences as described below. .      The agencies generally evaluate only the most popular vehicles, therefore it is likely that some vehicles which have not been rated could be Super-Stars, however there is no reliable way to know which ones. . . Vehicle Weight Criteria: .        Although the crashworthiness ratings for Super-Star vehicles are essentially identical, the protection they provide in traffic varies greatly, due to weight and size differences. For example, 2,500 lb. passenger cars have 2.5 times the driver fatality rate as a 3,600 lb. SUVs with the same crashworthiness ratings, in a multi-vehicle crashes. [Click here to see the Fatality-Weight correlation graph]. .

 

The ABCs of Identifying The Safest Vehicles

 

A. It is the exception when both IIHS and NHTSA agree on which vehicles are most crashworthy. For example, for model-years 2011-2012 IIHS evaluated 524 vehicles and rated 63% as "Top Pick"; NHTSA evaluated 501 vehicles and classifed 24% as "5-Star Overall", however only 35 vehicles (7%) received both "Top Pick" and "5-Star Overall".

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     Beware that even these crash-test Super-Stars are not all equivalently safe! No crash test can account for the relative size/weight of other vehicles you may collide with. The fatality rates for some of these vehicles are predicted to be 4 times higher than others, despite their exceptional crash test ratings, due soley to their relative size/weight. IIHS publishes data which demonstrate the significant correlation between vehicle size/weight and driver fatality rate. (See chart #3 below).

B. Avoid vehicles that are smaller and lighter than the average vehicle. Fifty-seven percent of all accidents involve more than one vehicle and when vehicles collide head-on the laws of physics apportion the forces inversely to each vehicle's weight (mass). 

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     Generally, to avoid a higher than average fatality risk in head-on collisions, your vehicle should not weigh less than the average vehicle, approximately 3,200 lbs. To see the correlation between vehicle weight and driver fatality rate click here.

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C. Confirm that your vehicle incorporates ESC (Electronic Stability Control) which may help avoid an accident in the first place. NHTSA has concluded that ESC reduces single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34%, and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59%. click here to see how ESC avoids loss of vehicle control

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     ESC has been mandated as standard equipment in all passenger vehicles commencing with model-year 2012, whereas it was offered as optional equipment in earlier model-years by many manufacturers. Be certain your vehicle incorporates ESC.

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To evaluate your vehicle click here to see the 3-step procedure.

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For model-years prior to 2009 review traffic fatality rates for 689 vehicles

 

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