IIHS announces 2008 winners of Top Safety Pick award

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Excerpted from the IIHS news release dated Nov. 15, 2007:

2008 winners of Top Safety Pick award — number of winners increases; pickups eligible for first time

ARLINGTON, VA —Thirty-four vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for 2008. The award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, and rear crashes based on ratings in the Institute's tests. Winners also have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), which research shows can significantly reduce the risk of crashing.

Compared with last year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet criteria for Top Safety Pick. At the beginning of the 2007 model year, 13 models qualified, but as manufacturers have made changes and introduced new and safer vehicle designs, 10 additional vehicles qualified during the year. Now another 11 vehicles are being added to the list for 2008. Designating winners based on the tests makes it easier for consumers to identify vehicles that afford the best overall protection without sifting through multiple sets of comparative crash test results.

"For 2008, consumers have the widest selection of vehicles they've ever had that afford the best protection in the most common kinds of crashes," says Institute president Adrian Lund. Front and side impacts are the most common kinds of fatal crashes, killing nearly 25,000 of the 31,000 vehicle occupants who died in 2005. Rear-end crashes usually aren't fatal, but they result in a large proportion of the injuries that occur in crashes. About 60 percent of insurance injury claims in 2002 reported minor neck sprains and strains.

All current car and minivan models, small and midsize SUVs, and small and large pickup trucks are eligible to win Top Safety Pick. Eight vehicles from Ford and its subsidiary, Volvo, make the list of winners for 2008. Seven winners are from Honda and its subsidiary, Acura.

For the rest of the IIHS news release, full Top Picks list, and video link, please go to: http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr111507.html

.pdf version: http://www.iihs.org/news/2007/iihs_news_111507.pdf
 
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Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Of special interest to those who may be shopping for a Saturn Vue or just like to keep up with Saturn model info., the '08 Saturn Vue's IIHS side impact crash test results are also up on the IIHS site today at http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=446 Notice the distinction between '08 Vues made before and after Dec. 2007. The Vues to be made after Dec. 2007 are rated a Top Pick by IIHS after GM tweaked the side curtain airbags based on the IIHS testing, according to this blurb from http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=884

Two tests of the VUE were conducted. In the first test, the side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill of the rear door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection was inadequate. In response, General Motors redesigned the side curtain airbags to ensure more rapid inflation and greater extension of the airbag next to the rear dummy's head. In the second test, the fix was successful, and the head protection rating improved to Good.
 
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crunchierthanthou

New member
So if they already know that, why aren't the using the updated method on the VUEs built in the next month?

I'm also a little disappointed that the only small car on the list is the Subaru Impreza. We're planning a new car purchase next summer and we've already done the Subaru thing.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Agreed on the Vue. It would be more reassuring safety-wise and better P.R. if GM/Saturn would implement the change retroactively to include earlier production '08 Vues (as in recall them). I imagine it takes time to implement changes in future production runs due to the turnaround time frame for vehicle production schedule and parts changes, the upcoming holiday periods, and of course the $$ bottom line. :(
 

southpawboston

New member
I'm also a little disappointed that the only small car on the list is the Subaru Impreza. We're planning a new car purchase next summer and we've already done the Subaru thing.

i'd be all over the new impreza (even though subaru loses originality points for blatantly copying the mazda3 ;)) if it didn't get such lousy gas mileage for a "small" car :rolleyes:.

there are still plenty of "safe" small cars; just because they didn't make the IIHS list of safest cars doesn't mean they're death traps either.
 

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