WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |Institute raises the roof on vehicle safety ratings
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(NBC) - There are far fewer cars and SUVs on a list of next year's safest vehicles.
That's because somebody has raised the roof on the standards of what constitutes a safe vehicle.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says it wants to improve the survival rate for people in rollover wrecks.
"Each year, we lose more than 9,000 people in rollover crashes," said Adrian Lund with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
So, to its regimen of impact crashes, the institute has added tests to measure roof strength.
"For a 'good' rating what we're looking for is a roof that will withstand a force that is equal to four times that vehicles weight. So, that when that vehicles rolls over, it's less likely that the roof will crush," Lund said.
The result has been a dramatic drop in the number of vehicles receiving the institute's top safety pick award for 2010.
Last year, 94 models from virtually every manufacturer around got the award.
This year, only 27 are getting it.
Again, most manufacturers are represented, but with just fewer models.
The manufacturers continue to promise real-world safety, but also say they're gearing up to meet tougher, overall federal crash test standards that come out in 2011.
Winners of the 2010 top safety pick award can be found at the institute's website.
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