Insurance institute for highway safety and today show

[emandbri]

The segment on the today show was about how new vehicles are now safer than ever.

I can't find a video of it so I'll summarize it. This year there are 72 "top picks" of the 2009 models, this is double the number of top picks for 2008 models and triple the number for 2007 models.

The institute tests for front, side, and rear impact. The segment said that ALL of honda's cars were top picks and there weren't any chrysler models at all.

It says 26 fell short because of inadequate head restraints in rear impact crashes but then also says they tested the cars with the head restrains in the middle position. That doesn't make any sense at all. :thumbsdown:

It also says it is ironic that there are so many top picks at at time when people aren't buying new cars.

Here is the Insurance institute for highway safety for highway safety website if you want to see the results.

http://www.iihs.org/

 

[MomToEliEm]

Was this the segment you had seen? (there is a video in the right side of article)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27896106/

 

[emandbri]

Yep that is it! Thanks for finding it!

 

[jen_nah]

Look at Ford go with the most vehicles in the top pick.

 

[Nisha]

Look at Ford go with the most vehicles in the top pick.

Woot! I'm a huge Ford fan!!! I was so thrilled to hear this on the news today! Maybe I'll have to re-think that Acadia and get an Expedition instead! (not like I'm buying any time soon )
*ETA* Dang, the expedition is not on there!

 

[Jeanum]

The direct link to the IIHS news release with the full list of "top picks" for safety is at http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr112508.html and there's an accompanying IIHS video on that page. Here's an excerpt from the news release:

72 winners of 2009 Top Safety Pick awards; almost every category from minicar to large pickup has a winner

ARLINGTON, VA — Seventy-two vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for 2009. This is more than double the number of 2008 recipients and more than 3 times the number of 2007 winners. Top Safety Pick recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners also have to have electronic stability control (ESC), which research shows significantly reduces crash risk.

For the first time ever, winners represent every class of vehicle the Institute tests except microcars. Most car, minivan, and SUV models, midsize convertibles, and small and large pickups are eligible. Ford and its subsidiary Volvo have 16 winners, including the Ford F-150 large pickup. Thirteen winners are from Honda and its Acura division. The Honda Fit with optional ESC is the first minicar to earn Top Safety Pick.

Honda, Acura, and Subaru, which picked up 4 awards, are standouts for 2009 because they have at least 1 Top Safety Pick in every vehicle class in which they compete.

"Consumers are the biggest winners," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "No matter what kind of vehicle buyers may be considering, now they can walk into just about any dealership and find one that affords the best overall protection in serious crashes."

Front and side impacts are the most common kinds of fatal crashes, killing about three-quarters of the 28,896 passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2007. Rear-end crashes usually aren't fatal, but they result in a large proportion of crash injuries. Neck sprain or strain is the most commonly reported injury in two thirds of insurance claims for injuries in all kinds of crashes.

 

[jen_nah]

Woot! I'm a huge Ford fan!!! I was so thrilled to hear this on the news today! Maybe I'll have to re-think that Acadia and get an Expedition instead! (not like I'm buying any time soon )
*ETA* Dang, the expedition is not on there!

But the Acadia is!!!

 

[beeman]

Good ol' F150. Maybe I should upgrade :question: .