When buying a car, vehicle crash ratings offer critical information about how well a vehicle will protect you in a collision. Two organizations provide these ratings in the United States: NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings and IIHS crash test awards. Both programs assess how vehicles protect occupants during crashes and increasingly evaluate how well vehicles help avoid accidents altogether. Understanding these vehicle crash ratings helps you make informed decisions that could reduce your risk of serious injury in a car accident.
How NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Work
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administers the 5-Star Safety Ratings program, which has rated vehicles since 1978. NHTSA conducts four separate tests to generate ratings from 1 star (least safe) to 5 stars (safest). The frontal crash test simulates a vehicle hitting a stationary barrier at 35 mph, measuring injuries to the head, neck, chest, and legs of test dummies in both driver and front passenger seats.
NHTSA combines results from these tests into an overall vehicle score. A 5-star rating means occupants have a 10 percent or less chance of injury in a frontal crash and a 5 percent or less chance in a side crash. Vehicles earning 1 star indicate a 46 percent or greater chance of frontal injury, making the difference between ratings substantial. These vehicle crash ratings give consumers clear metrics for comparing safety performance across different makes and models.
IIHS Crash Test Awards and Crash Avoidance Technology
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts more comprehensive testing than NHTSA, performing six different crash tests on over 100 vehicles annually. IIHS rates vehicles on a four-point scale: Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. The organization tests small overlap front crashes (simulating impacts with trees or utility poles), moderate overlap frontal crashes (recreating head-on collisions between vehicles), side impacts, rollover resistance, headlight effectiveness, and front crash prevention systems.
A vehicle earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award must score Good in all six crash tests and achieve at least an Acceptable rating in headlight performance and crash avoidance systems. The Top Safety Pick award requires the same standards except for the updated moderate overlap test. What sets IIHS testing apart is its emphasis on crash avoidance technology. These vehicle crash ratings also assess technologies that prevent accidents from happening initially.
Using Vehicle Crash Ratings to Prevent Car Accidents and Protect Your Rights
Vehicle crash ratings serve a broader purpose beyond surviving crashes—they also measure how well technology helps drivers avoid accidents in the first place. Modern vehicles increasingly include advanced driver-assistance systems that alert drivers to potential hazards or automatically apply brakes if a collision is imminent. Lane-keeping assist prevents vehicles from drifting into other lanes.
Choosing a vehicle with high vehicle crash ratings and robust safety technology reduces your likelihood of being involved in an accident. If you have been injured in a crash, the safety features and crash test performance of involved vehicles can be relevant factors in determining liability and damages. Our personal injury attorneys understand how vehicle crash ratings and safety data influence accident cases and can help you recover compensation for your injuries.
For more information about how vehicle safety relates to accident claims, visit our FAQ about car accidents or learn about accident claim settlements. You can also review NHTSA’s official safety ratings and IIHS crash test results for detailed information on specific vehicle models.
Key Safety Features to Look For:
- Automatic emergency braking systems
- Lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist
- Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward collision warning
- Pedestrian detection systems
Call 407-846-2240 for a free consultation with an Orlando car accident attorney at the Martinez Manglardi personal injury law firm. Convenient locations throughout Central Florida, including Orlando, Kissimmee, Apopka, Palm Bay, Ocala, Haines City, and Davenport.
