IIHS and HLDI News

2011 Buick Regal earns Top Safety Pick award
The new Buick Regal earns the Institute's top safety accolade after achieving good ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear impact protection. The Top Safety Pick designation helps car shoppers zero in on the vehicles that afford the best overall crash protection. In addition to good crash test ratings, winners must have electronic stability control, an important crash-avoidance feature, which is standard on the Regal. The Regal is the seventh vehicle from General Motors to earn the award since the Institute implemented a new roof strength requirement for protection in rollover crashes. In this test, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. The roof of the Regal withstood a force equal to nearly 5 times the car's weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

2011 Ford Fiesta earns Top Safety Pick award
The Ford Fiesta sedan/hatchback is the first minicar to earn the Top Safety Pick award since the Institute added a roof strength requirement for rollover protection. The Fiesta is recognized as a Top Safety Pick after earning good ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and for having electronic stability control as standard equipment. No other minicar the Institute has tested has earned top ratings in all four safety evaluations. The Fiesta is the eighth Ford model to earn the Institute's top designation. The others are Ford Fusion/Lincoln MKZ/Mercury Milan, Ford Taurus/Lincoln MKS, and Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT. The Fiesta's award applies to cars built after July 2010 because Ford made design changes to strengthen the outside door handles to minimize the possibility of the handles starting to activate in side impact crashes.

Status Report: Vol. 45, No. 8
Hot-button issues often drive highway safety policy, draining time and attention from initiatives with greater potential to save livesRequire speed limiters in big trucks for safety as well as fuel economyRoof strength ratings for more than 100 passenger vehicles, most of which earn top mark of good

New rollover ratings: Three midsize SUVs are rated acceptable and one is marginal
The 2010 Nissan Xterra, Toyota FJ Cruiser, and Toyota 4Runner earn acceptable ratings, while the Nissan Pathfinder is rated marginal in recent roof strength tests that assess how well vehicles would protect people in rollover crashes. In this test a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is poor.

New rollover test ratings: Two large luxury cars earn good ratings and Top Safety Pick award
The 2011 Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M37/M56 earn the top rating of good in recent roof strength tests that assess how well vehicles would protect people in rollover crashes. The Lexus GS and Audi A6, both tested as 2010 models, are rated acceptable, and the Acura RL, also a 2010, is rated marginal for rollover protection. After the latest roof strength tests, the CTS and M37/M56 also earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick award with good ratings in all 4 Institute safety evaluations, and electronic stability control, which research shows can help drivers stay out of crashes altogether. "The test results show that manufacturers are moving quickly to improve the rollover safety of their newest designs," says Institute president Adrian Lund. The BMW 5 series, Hyundai Genesis, Lincoln MKS, Mercedes E class, and Volvo S80 also are Top Safety Pick winners in the large luxury class based on test results released earlier. The Institute evaluates rollover protection using a roof strength test. In this test a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight.

2010 Cadillac SRX earns Top Safety Pick award
The Cadillac SRX, a midsize luxury SUV, earns the Institute's top safety designation after getting a good rating for rollover protection. The SRX had previously earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest ratings in all 4 Institute safety evaluations, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the SRX. Based on research of real-world crashes, the Institute evaluates rollover protection using a roof strength test. In this test a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. The roof of the '10 SRX withstood a force equal to 4.14 times weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. General Motors strengthened the roof structure of the SRX during the 2010 model year. The Top Safety Pick award applies to models built after May 2010.

Cadillac Escalade, Ford F-250 pickup, and Infiniti G37 top list of highest insurance claims for theft
ARLINGTON, VA — The rate at which people file insurance claims for theft is highest for versions of the 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade, a luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 crew pickup, Infiniti G37 luxury car, and Dodge Charger with a HEMI engine. Theft rates for these vehicles are 3 to 5 times as high as the average for all vehicles. These are the latest theft loss results for passenger vehicles 1 to 3 years old published by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Status Report: Vol. 45, No. 7
Parents favor strict rules for teenage drivers and support raising the licensing age for beginnersCadillac Escalade remains a favorite target of thievesBelt use increases in Maine after the state upgrades to primary lawPolice officers die more in crashes than from any other cause of death on the job

2011 BMW 5 series earns Top Safety Pick award
After earning good ratings in all 4 safety evaluations, the redesigned BMW 5 series achieves Top Safety Pick status among large cars. This is the first 5 series ever to earn the Top Safety Pick award, and the first BMW to achieve this since the Institute implemented a new rollover test requirement. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the 5 series. The good rating for side impact protection is a significant improvement over the previous generation 5, which was rated only marginal in the same test. The Institute's side impact test represents a strike from an SUV or pickup.

Mitsubishi Lancer earns the 2010 Top Safety Pick award
After earning a good rating for rollover protection, the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer earns the Institute's Top Safety Pick award. The Lancer, a small car, is the first Mitsubishi to qualify for the top safety designation since the Institute implemented the new rollover test. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest rating for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the Lancer. Based on research of real-world crashes, the Institute evaluates rollover protection using a roof strength test. In this test a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

Delaware bans the use of hand-held phones and text messaging by all drivers
Delaware joins 8 other states in banning the use of hand-held phones by all drivers and 29 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective Jan. 2, 2011. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Massachusetts joins 28 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Massachusetts joins 28 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective Sept. 30, 2010. Additionally, drivers younger than 18 are banned from using all phones. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Status Report: Vol. 45, No. 6
Older drivers aren?t causing more crashes than they used to, and they aren?t dying more often when they do crashIgnition interlocks prove more attractive to DWI offenders than house arrestRaising alcohol prices and taxes reduces excessive drinking, alcohol-related crashes, and other harm, task force findsRecorder rule for large trucks applies to just the worst offendersElectronic stability control lowers risk of a fatal crash by a third

Louisiana strengthens texting ban from secondary to primary enforcement
Louisiana joins 23 other states with a primary enforcement texting ban allowing officers to cite drivers solely for texting, effective August 15, 2010. Four other states have secondary all driver texting bans. Details on cellphone and texting bans in all states

New crash test results: Lexus HS 250h and Suzuki Kizashi
The 2010 Lexus HS 250h, a midsize luxury hybrid, earns a good rating for side impact protection and an acceptable rating for roof strength in rollover crashes. The HS 250h also is rated good for frontal crash protection based on a test conducted earlier. The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, a midsize moderately priced car, earns an acceptable rating for roof strength in rollover crashes. This model will be evaluated for front and side crash protection later this year.

Audi, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen models earn the 2010 Top Safety Pick award
Based on new rollover test results the 2010 Audi A4 and Q5, Ford Flex and Fusion (twins Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ), Hyundai Tucson, Lincoln MKT, and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick award. Each vehicle earns the highest rating of good for roof strength in rollover crashes. To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest rating of good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on all of these models. Earlier this year Ford made changes to the roof structures of the Flex, Fusion, and MKT. The award applies to Flex models built after January 2010, Fusions built after April 2010, MKTs built after March 2010.

Oklahoma bans all cellphone use and text messaging by young drivers
Oklahoma joins 27 other states in banning cellphone use by young drivers, effective November 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Colorado, Georgia, and Vermont strengthen occupant restraint laws
Colorado joins 27 other states requiring children 7 years and younger to ride in a child restraint or a booster seat, effective Aug. 1, 2010. The previous law required booster seats only for children 4 and 5 years of age. Additionally, children younger than 1 year must ride restrained in the rear seat. As of June 3, 2010, Georgia will require occupants of pickup trucks to wear safety belts. Vermont has a secondary adult belt law but has increased the ages covered by the primary child restraint law from 15 years and younger to 17 years and younger, effective June 1, 2010. For details on safety belt use laws in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/SafetyBeltUse.aspx

Georgia joins 27 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Georgia joins 27 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective July 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Vermont joins 26 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Vermont joins 26 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective June 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx