Two redesigned two- and four-door Honda Civic models were the only small cars to be certified as “Good”, the top rating, in stringent front-end crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
In all, half of the 12 compact and subcompact cars tested by the insurance industry-funded group fared poorly, but six, including the Civics, performed well. Safety is critical in the fast-growing small-car market, with many buyers preferring affordable and fuel-efficient smaller vehicles with larger ones.
On average, small cars performed significantly better than SUVs in the crash tests, but not as well as the mid-segment cars.
The test results will certainly influence vehicle purchases as the manufacturers of top performing cars use the finding in marketing campaigns and also because many auto shoppers find the IIHS ratings while researching vehicles on the internet.
The Arlington, Virginia-based insurance industry-funded group created the new test in part to give manufacturers an incentive to design safer cars. The cars were rated for their performance in the insurance institute’s “small overlap” test of crashes that cover only 25% of a vehicle’s front end. These tests are forcing automakers to bolster the front-end structure of all cars in order to avoid bad publicity from a poor performance.
David Zuby, the IIHS’ Chief Research Officer said in a statement that manufacturers needed to focus on the whole package. This meant a strong occupant compartment that resists the kinds of intrusion we see in a frontal crash like this, safety belts that prevent a driver from pitching too far forward and side curtain air bags to cushion a head at risk of hitting the dashboard or window frame.
Honda has redesigned its vehicles to withstand the types of crashes in this test and to have a survival space for the driver after impact.
IIHS, a non-profit research group funded by insurance companies, conducts its “small offset” test by crashing vehicles at 40 M.P.H into a fixed 5-foot-tall barrier to simulate collisions with a utility pole or tree. The institute then analyses the test results based on if the structure intrudes into the passenger compartment, or if a crash dummy suffers injuries to any part of the body. The group also measures how well air bags and seat belts protect people. “Good” is the top rating, followed by “acceptable,” then “marginal” and “poor.”
According to preliminary estimates from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2012 has been the first year since 2005 when deaths on U.S. roads increased to 34,080, rising 5.3 percent. This has called for stricter safety regulations.
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I have been writing content for auto blogs for quite a long time now. My passion lies in this field and I love to picture cars as well.
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