Auto Safety Tests

An insurance industry group has recently brought a valid concern to the forefront. They say that more than half of the new autos to hit the market are not properly protecting passengers in the event of a rear collision. They say that this is due to poor head restraint and seat designs.

The group, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, did say that some autos were much better off. Some of the best include all of the autos offered by Volvo, Ford Five Hundred, Audi S4, A4, and A6, Mercury Montego, Nissan Sentra, and several more. All of these autos were rated “good” in this area of crash safety.

The group based its results on the measurements of the head restraints as well as crash test results. But companies like Toyota are taking issue with these results by saying that they are not valid. Most of Toyota’s models scored poor or marginal, and this included top selling autos such as the Avalon and Camry. They explained that seat tests were not accurate because they are completed with the units out of the auto.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety noted that neck injuries account for nearly two million insurance claims each year. This costs the industry approximately $8.5 billion.