Underscoring the excellent quality and safety of Toyota automobiles, the Camry sedan and RAV4 SUV recently earned top honors for side/front crash safety. The two Toyota vehicles dominated the other models evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Other models tested included the latest versions of the Dodge Caliber, Kia Optima, Lincoln Zephyr, and Hyundai Tucson SUV. All six vehicles garnered “good†or “acceptable†ratings in front crash tests. However, five of the six vehicles got a poor rating in rear-end collision protection. Only the Kia Optima got a good rating for rear crash safety though it was not tested for side impact crash. The tests involve crashing the vehicles into a barrier at a speed of 40 mph as well as hitting the vehicle from behind at 20 mph.
The vehicles with side air bags got the highest marks. This bodes well for the NHTSA’s mandate for industry-wide use of side airbags. Apparently, side air bags can save up to 1,200 lives in the US every year. However, side airbags remain as an option (priced at about $650) in most vehicles today. Only 38% of current vehicles come with standard side airbags, while another 30% offers the safety feature as an option.
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August 27th, 2006 at 3:02 am
Even though Toyota car safety is getting better, and auto related deaths are declining, car crashes are still a leading cause of death in the United States. So finally it is upto the drivers to exercise self-discipline and restrict to safe driving practises than just blaming it on car manufacturers.