Top Safety Picks for Auto Accident Prevention

 Posted on January 09, 2018 in Personal Injury

Whether you commute regularly from your home in DuPage County to your job in downtown Chicago, or if you only use your car for recreational purposes or for getting around your own neighborhood, car accidents can happen quickly and without warning. While there are many steps we all can take in order to prevent accidents from happening in the first place, drivers can additionally purchase vehicles that have well-designed safety features in order to both prevent crashes and limit injuries in the event that a collision does occur.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) newly released its list for “Top Safety Pick” and “Top Safety Pick Plus.” What should you learn about the vehicles that made the list in order to avoid a car accident and serious injuries?

Fewer Automobiles Made the 2018 List

The most noticeable change in the IIHS list from 2017 to 2018 is the number of cars that made the list. Indeed, only about half the number of models listed in 2017 appeared on this year’s list, bringing the total to 62 vehicles that have earned an IIHS safety rating for 2018. Why is the list so much shorter?

In brief, the IIHS changed some of its standards concerning headlight effectiveness and collision testing for front-seat passengers. While some automakers rose to the challenge and even designed vehicles with the IIHS standards in mind—such as Ford, Volkswagen, and Volvo—others are now encouraged to rethink headlight safety and front-seat passenger safety if they want to make the list.

Cars Are Not More Dangerous Than They Were Last Year

The fact that only 62 vehicle models made this year’s IIHS list might lead some consumers to think that 2018 automobile models are not as safe as last year. Although we clarified that the reason is largely due to a shift in the institute’s measure of headlight and front-seat passenger safety effectiveness, it is important to underscore that vehicles are no less safe than last year.

Indeed, according to Adrian Lund, the IIHS president: “This doesn’t mean that vehicles are less safe than they were last year. Rather, we’ve raised the bar and we still have this many vehicles that meet the new criteria and are providing state-of-the-art protection.”

Headlight effectiveness is a measure that concerns car crash avoidance. The idea is that the better you can see at night, the less likely you are to be involved in a collision. The IIHS focused on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that showed more car accident fatalities occurred at night. The front-seat passenger test, differently, concerns injury mitigation when a crash does happen.

What vehicles made the “Top Safety Pick Plus” list? The following are vehicles that earned the IIHS’s highest rating for 2018 in terms of car crash avoidance and injury prevention:

• Toyota Camry;
• BMW 5-Series;
• Lincoln Continental;
• Subaru Outback;
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class;
• Hyundai Santa Fe; and
• Kia Soul.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney in DuPage County

If you were involved in a traffic collision, a passionate DuPage County car accident lawyer can help with your claim. Contact Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices for more information about the services we provide.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/business/iihs-top-safety-picks.html?_r=0