The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its first crash test results of convertible models, just in time for the summer driving season in the U.S. The gist of the results is that a convertible is not as safe as a comparably equipped non-convertible model, although convertibles tend to have similar death rates to non-convertibles as convertibles are typically driven fewer miles. The IIHS also makes a point of emphasizing that all bets are off if you don't wear your seatbelt. I thought I'd post the links here in the News Articles section for handy reference in light of the recent discussions of convertible safety elsewhere on the forum.
IIHS press release: http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr053107.html
You can also click on the "Video" link near the top of the press release for some crash test footage and explanations.
Detailed IIHS status report on convertible safety: http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4206.pdf
IIHS press release: http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr053107.html
You can also click on the "Video" link near the top of the press release for some crash test footage and explanations.
Detailed IIHS status report on convertible safety: http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4206.pdf