How cars are crash tested

Although vehicles, in general, are much safer in collisions than they used to be, about 30,000 people traveling in passenger vehicles still die in crashes every year. Many factors contribute to fatal crashes, including safety-belt use, driving behavior, road conditions, and a vehicle's crash-avoidance capabilities. But the actual vehicle you're in when a crash does occur can make a life-or-death difference.

This point has been driven home for us in producing nearly 250 crash test videos in cooperation with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These high-impact segments show how vehicles hold up in the Institute's stringent frontal off-set barrier test and side-impact test, using a moving barrier that simulates the strike from an SUV. The results from these tests provide valuable insights into the passenger injury risks, allowing consumers to seek the safest models that satisfy their needs, as well as encourage manufacturers to deliver vehicles with safe structures.

In addition to the IIHS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a branch of the Transportation Department, also conducts crash tests and other safety evaluations.

These organizations each conduct front- and side-impact crash tests using different methodologies. Of the two, IIHS challenges vehicle designs more. (Learn more about how NHTSA tests cars.)

Let's take a closer look at how the IIHS crash tests vehicles.

Front
The IIHS front-crash test simulates what would happen if two cars of the same weight and type crashed head-on, left headlight to left headlight. In contrast to the NHTSA test, the impact speed is 40 mph instead of 35 mph, the barrier is deformable rather than rigid, and only the left front of the car hits the barrier.

This is a more severe test than NHTSA's because the speed is higher and the crash energy is concentrated on a smaller area. An instrument-equipped crash dummy in the driver's seat records forces to the head and neck, chest, legs, and feet. Vehicles are rated as Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor based on what happens to vehicle structure, as well as forces on the dummies. Consumer Reports puts more emphasis on the IIHS tests when it derives its "crash protection" rating.

Side
The IIHS side-impact test is more sophisticated and also more severe than NHTSA's. The test uses a heavier striking barrier (3,300 pounds), compared with NHTSA's (3,015 pounds). Further, the IIHS barrier strikes higher up on the tested vehicle to simulate a car being hit on the side at 90 degrees by a typical-height SUV or truck. The IIHS bases its scores on head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis and leg injury rather than just chest injury, as NHTSA does.

The two dummies in the IIHS side-crash test represent a small adult female or a 12-year-old adolescent. One is the driver, the other a left-rear passenger. Other crash tests performed by NHTSA and the IIHS use a dummy that simulates an average-sized adult male.

Before buying your next car, be sure to check the safety ratings and watch the crash test videos, available at ConsumerReports.org. The difference between Good and Acceptable crash-test ratings come through loud and clear when you can see the damage done to the vehicle and learn about the potential injuries.

See videos of how cars perform in IIHS' front and side crash tests.

Learn more about how crash tests are performed in Crash Test 101.

Comments

[Fred]

Is there any set of statistics on how many people are killed or injured when they *were* buckled up? I always buckle up and have tons of air bags in my car, and I'd like to know where I stand in terms of safety. If someone dies in a crash and they were not wearing a seat belt, their death is hardly a surprise.

[Jeff Bartlett]

Here's another way to look at that question:
"The use of seat belts in motor vehicles saved an estimated 15,383 lives in 2006. Seat belts have saved over 75,000 lives during the five-year period from 2002 through 2006."
This is from a December 2007 NHTSA report.

As the numbers show, wearing a seatbelt is a must.

In covering the safety topic, and having watched every crash test video on the site several times, it is quite clear that choosing a good, SAFE car should be a priority for every consumer. Budgets and needs certainly vary, but safety should be on the radar for all car shoppers, new or used. So often, a better choice doesn't necessarily mean more cost, just a few minutes more research.