The number of vehicles earning either of two awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier — TOP SAFETY PICK+ — has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention.
While the bar has been raised for TOP SAFETY PICK+, the criteria for TOP SAFETY PICK are unchanged from 2014: a good or acceptable rating in the challenging small overlap front test and a good rating in each of the Institute's four other crashworthiness evaluations — moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. The 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation is awarded to vehicles that meet those criteria and also have an available front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating.
A group of four minivans recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for protection in small overlap front crashes shows some of the worst possible outcomes for this type of crash, with only one vehicle performing acceptably.
The Nissan Quest, the Chrysler Town & Country and its twin, the Dodge Grand Caravan, all earn poor ratings. The exception to the disappointing pattern is the 2015 Toyota Sienna, which earns an acceptable rating. It joins the Honda Odyssey, which last year earned a good rating in the test, in the ranks of TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners.
As Child Passenger Safety Week wraps up, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a new Car Seat Finder Tool, adding the ability to look up car seat recalls on its mobile app, and reminding parents and caregivers to register their child's car seat through its new campaign – “Don't Delay. Register Your Car Seat Today.” Every 34 seconds, a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash and more than a third of children killed in crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. NHTSA's new Car Seat Finder Tool is aimed at helping parents select the right car seat or booster seat for their child, while the campaign reminds everyone of the importance of registering car seats to receive important safety recall notifications.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7310151-ad-council-nhtsa-child-passenger-safety-2014/
What if there were a way to prevent a leading cause of childhood death, but three out of four of us were doing it wrong? The startling truth is that a car seat can dramatically reduce childhood death and injury from motor vehicle crashes, but 75 percent are installed incorrectly.1
With Child Passenger Safety Week upon us, the good news is that community-based programs are making a difference. Buckle Up for Life is a national education program, created in 2004 by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Toyota, to save children's lives. Over the last ten years, it has grown to include a network of more than a dozen of the nation's leading children's hospitals and has educated more than 17,000 people about the proper use of car seats and seat belts. Toyota's sponsorship has provided funding for over 40,000 car seats for families in need.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7318951-toyota-cincinnati-children-s-hospital-child-passenger-safety-buckle-up-for-life/
Learning to drive is a big step in life. Celebrate My Drive (R) and State Farm (R) recognize that getting a driver’s license is an important and exciting time in the life of a teen. The program celebrates this milestone with new drivers – instead of scaring them – to help them make positive choices and stay safe on the road.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7271031-state-farm-celebrate-my-drive-2014/
Twenty-two vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest safety award for 2014, TOP SAFETY PICK+, thanks to a high level of protection in crashes and the availability of front crash prevention technology to avoid many collisions in the first place. An additional 17 earn TOP SAFETY PICK by meeting the crashworthiness criteria alone.
IIHS is using new criteria for the awards this year. TOP SAFETY PICK requires good performance in the Institute's moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests and, for the first time, good or acceptable performance in the small overlap front test introduced in 2012. The same level of performance in those tests, along with at least a basic rating for front crash prevention, is required for the higher accolade, TOP SAFETY PICK+.
The elegant design possibilities are the most visually evident – but far from the only – advantages of Volvo Car Group’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).
The ingenious new architecture also enables the company to reinforce its safety leadership and increase its momentum towards the aim that by 2020, no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64160-volvo-car-crash-free-future
In an effort to learn more about driver
inattention, one of the biggest killers on WA roads, RAC created the
world's first Attention Powered Car -- a car that goes when you're
paying attention and slows when you're not. On the final
leg of our road trip, we visited Narrogin in the Wheatbelt, which is
also often dubbed by emergency services as the 'accident belt'. Here,
single vehicle crashes with young drivers behind the wheel are
particularly high, so we wanted to see if inattention was part of the
problem. Our first driver, Shawn, took the Attention
Powered Car and few mates around town. Not surprisingly, his mates
proved to be a distraction, as well as thinking about his girlfriend
and sadly, friends lost on the road. Next up was Speedway Driver Coby.
She performed well on the open road, but had plenty inattention moments
to match. Perhaps most telling though, was her insight into the minds
of many drivers who even after being made aware of their limitations,
aren't likely to change behaviour. Check out the video to
see the Attention Powered Car on the road and how our drivers
performed. Plus, follow the journey, watch all webisodes from our
journey and keep up-to-date with what we have planned next by visiting
forthebetter.com.au
A new test program by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the performance of front crash prevention systems to help consumers decide which features to consider and encourage automakers to speed adoption of the technology. The rating system is based on research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) indicating that forward collision warning and automatic braking systems are helping drivers avoid front-to-rear crashes.
According to the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than a third of children under age 13 who died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2011 were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. To help eliminate these deaths, and as part of Child Passenger Safety Week, NHTSA is highlighting the important safety benefits associated with the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63316-child-passenger-safety-week-is-sept-15-21
As part of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month™ , the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Mazda Motorsports, the Ad Council and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) announced the six high school and college winners of their second annual Project Yellow Light scholarship contest. “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All,” was the theme of this year’s contest. Entrants were asked to develop and produce a short video that would depict for their peers the dangers of risky mobile behavior on our Nation’s roadways. The high school grand prize was awarded to Brittany Devasure, a senior from North Carolina, for her video. For the first time, the contest was open to college students. Rachel Hall, who studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, was recognized as the grand prize winner for her video.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61426-ad-council-and-nhtsa-announce-project-yellow-light-scholarship-winners
