Crash Tests Results--
How Safe is Your Favorite Vehicle?
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) www.iihs.org and many other safety authorities run crash tests every year to determine how well vehicles protect occupants in frontal, side, and rear collisions. Your vehicle's crash-test report card is a good indicator of how it will perform in an accident, which in turn, is a good indicator of how much you can save when you buy your auto insurance coverage.
When you're car shopping, make sure to find out how well the vehicle you're interested in holds up in collision simulations. Good performance in these crash tests is typically a prominent selling feature. Visit www.iihs.org to find out how well your vehicle (or prospective vehicle) will protect you in an accident.
Esurance offers information on some of the 2006 vehicles that performed well in front, side, and rear crash tests, as reported by the IIHS. Vehicles that received a gold award performed well in all three categories, while silver winners have strong front and side ratings and acceptable rear crash protection.
Small Passenger Cars
Small cars generally offer less protection than heavier cars because they don't have as much structure to absorb the impact of a crash. Nevertheless, certain lightweight vehicles stood out as gold winners in this category, including the Honda Civic 4-door, the Saab 9-2x, and the Subaru Impreza.
Midsize Passenger Cars
This category had only two gold winners: the Saab 9-3 and the Subaru Legacy. However, the IIHS awarded several silver winners, including the Audi A3, Audi A4, BMW 3 series 4-door (built after Feb. 2006), Chevy Malibu (with optional side airbags), Lexus IS, Volkswagon Jetta, and Volkswagon Passat.
Large Passenger Cars
In general, large cars are sturdier than smaller ones and thus offer more protection in a collision. According to the IIHS, the cars that stood out in this category are the Ford 500 and the Mercury Montego, both with optional side airbags. The silver winner in this category was the Audi A6.
Minivans
Two minivans stood out for their safety capability: the Kia Sedona and the 2007 Hyundai Entourage.
A common trait among gold winners is that they're equipped with side airbags. Although this is generally an optional feature, it's one that's well worth the investment. Visit Esurance's Auto Insurance Learning Center for more on how safety features can save your life and help you save on auto insurance.
|
