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IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles - READ ONLY

130 messages,  Last post on Sep 23, 2009 at 12:03 PM

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What is this discussion about? Car Safety

Messages Page 1 of 13

#1 of 130 IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles by pf_flyer HOST

Dec 06, 2005 (6:12 am)

Heard it on the radio news this morning and saw it online in this news item:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10282809/
 
Safe cars: Gold and silver awards
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety chooses top picks for the first time
 
And the list:
 
Silver award
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Audi A3
Audi A4
Audi A6
Chevrolet Malibu with Optional side airbags
 
Gold award
Ford 500 or Mercury Montego (only with optional side airbags)
Subaru Legacy
Saab 1993
Honda Civic

#2 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [pf_flyer] by 210delray

Dec 06, 2005 (7:13 am)

Replying to: pf_flyer (Dec 06, 2005 6:12 am)
It should be Saab 9-3.
 
Remember the caveats. Don't buy a Honda Civic and feel that you're invincible. Size and weight still matter, especially when that F-150 is heading straight toward you.

#3 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [pf_flyer] by lemmer

Dec 06, 2005 (7:23 am)

Replying to: pf_flyer (Dec 06, 2005 6:12 am)
I find it irritating that all of the news outlets are reporting these vehicles as the "10 safest cars."
 
They are 10 safe cars, but they haven't tested most models so we have no idea whether these are among the safest.

#4 of 130 hmmm by anythngbutgm

Dec 06, 2005 (8:07 am)

It's amazing to see VW group not recieve the highest honors. The one thing they seem to nail is safety. Still a good showing, but not what I expected...

#5 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [210delray] by alpha01

Dec 06, 2005 (8:21 am)

Replying to: 210delray (Dec 06, 2005 7:13 am)
I agree that size and weight matter. However, its interesting to note that Offset frontal impact performance is not comparable across weight classes, but Side Impact performance is. Meaning, a Civic that scores Top Honors in the Side Impact is exactly the same as a Five Hundred that scores Top Honors in the same test.
 
~alpha

#6 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [210delray] by larsb

Dec 06, 2005 (8:24 am)

Replying to: 210delray (Dec 06, 2005 7:13 am)
No one should ever buy ANY CAR and think they are invincible. That would be idiotic.
 
But it's nice to know that the Civic is the only Gold Star compact car, if you own one, like I do.
 
Sad to know that all those millions of kids transported in minivans are at risk. Last week in Peoria, AZ, a Mom in a minivan had a 4 and a 5 year old in the third row in booster seats, belted in, and they were T-Boned by a Pickup. The two kids in rear seat were thrown from the car, and the 4 year old was thrown from her car seat completely and was sadly killed. I wonder if the child was belted using the adult seat belt or the harness from the booster seat? My guess is the adult belt.
 
Note to parents: Please always use the harness system on your booster seat until the child completely outgrows it - it is far better than the adult seatbelt at keeping the child in the seat.

#7 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [lemmer] by 210delray

Dec 06, 2005 (8:51 am)

Replying to: lemmer (Dec 06, 2005 7:23 am)
Incorrect - all current popular small and midsize cars as well as most minivans were tested, and the manufacturers were asked to offer up any large cars they believed would pass muster, since most of the latter have not yet been side tested. (The minivans not tested - from Chrysler, GM, and Kia - have side impact changes or redesigns pending.) SUVs and pickups were specifically excluded from this round of testing.

#8 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [pf_flyer] by prosa

Dec 06, 2005 (9:30 am)

Replying to: pf_flyer (Dec 06, 2005 6:12 am)
Interesting ... no Volvos on the list.

#9 of 130 Re: IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles [210delray] by lemmer

Dec 06, 2005 (9:35 am)

Replying to: 210delray (Dec 06, 2005 8:51 am)
I see that you are right.
 
I still have trouble with the idea that an A3 is safer than an A8, a Civic is safer than an Odyssey, a Jetta is safer than a Phaeton, a Malibu is safer than any Mercedes or BMW, etc.
 
The main qualifier seems to be with head restraints. Many vehicles that do great in crash testing fail because of their head restraint design. They decide some are poor based on geometry without testing them.
 
They also state this:
 "This is one reason Volkswagen and Audi cars are 5 of the 10 award winners. This company has introduced 5 new designs since the 2005 model year and made the commitment to ensure that these designs perform well in Institute tests."
 
I am confused, did VW design the cars to be safe or to perform well in specific tests?
 
I think this is an area where the data they provide is more useful than their conclusions. I actually prefer Consumer Reports safety ratings that include accident avoidance.

#10 of 130 These cars are rated IN THEIR OWN CLASS..... by larsb

Dec 06, 2005 (9:51 am)

The fact that a Civic is rated Gold and an Odyssey is not rated DOES NOT MEAN a Civic is safer than an Odyssey.
 
What it means is that WITHIN the "compact car" category, only the Civic (versus the other compacts) scored high enough to be rated gold.
 
To compare the safety of the Odyssey to the safety of the Civic, we would need the statistics from the damage to the dummies, which they do not provide.

Messages Page 1 of 13

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