The candy red Toyota Prius drives around the sharp corner at a blazing
speed. In reality, the Prius is moving just a hair over a slug’s top speed. The
Prius stops. The car is positioned to show off the fancy brakes while “smoke”
rolls off the tires. So what’s the
point? Well, obviously, it is to show that the Prius is a fast and safe car. Then, in bright white letters, the slogan
“Voted #1 for being a top safety pick” appears across the TV screen.
Top safety pick (TSP), so what companies
are saying is ‘hey come spend your money with Toyota and your chances of
surviving a car crash will decrease.’ Because it uses the word safe of course.
I have always wanted to know is who decides what is “safe” and what
isn’t “safe”?
The IIHS picks what is considered safe. According to the IIHS, the
organization is an “independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational
organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries, and property
damage — from crashes on the nation's highways.” What is the job of the workers
at the IIHS then?
The site information explains
the history, the tests, and goals they seek to accomplish which I won’t go into
detail about I will that to you readers.
Cars like the Prius for example: the website declares a series of
letters such as “G”, “A”, “M”, or “P” which stand for “Good”, “Acceptable”,
“Marginal”, or “Poor”. So in a front
crash scenario, the Prius had received a “G” for example. More details on the Prius review or other
cars can be found here: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx
Is having a Top Safety Pick
important? Well, if you care about your
family and or passengers, then yes. You get a TSP award if you pass all the
sections that the IIHS in their four required sections. Their sections are based
on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, plus
evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in
rear impacts.
Just because your 2012 Ford
Mustang didn’t get a TSP award doesn’t mean it isn’t a safe car. Just according to the IIHS it has some areas
for improvement. There are even
occasions when certain tests haven’t been conducted on the vehicles in question
yet. Just so you know I’m not bashing on
the pony cars here they have a very good frontal crash rating.
There is your insight into the
world of what a Top Safety Pick is, how it is determined, and their grading
scale. Good luck and drive safely
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