Not a single small SUV out of 21 tested earns a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s headlight evaluations, and only four are available with acceptable-rated headlights.
Among the 21 vehicles, there are 47 different headlight combinations available. More than two-thirds of them are rated poor, making this group of vehicles even more deficient when it comes to lighting than the midsize cars that were the first to be rated earlier this year.
Headlight performance in today’s vehicles varies widely. Government standards are based on laboratory tests, which don’t accurately gauge performance in real-world driving. The issue merits attention because about half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark or around dawn or dusk.
As with midsize cars, the IIHS evaluations of small SUVs showed that a vehicle’s price tag doesn’t correspond to the quality of headlights. More modern lighting types, including high-intensity discharge (HID) and LED lamps, and curve-adaptive systems, which swivel in the direction of steering, also are no guarantee of good performance.
Just 15 vehicles qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from IIHS after the requirements were strengthened to include good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes.
Another 47 vehicles earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, which now requires acceptable or good headlights. In contrast, headlights weren’t factored in for 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK, and an acceptable headlight rating was enough to bump a 2017 award winner into "plus" territory.
The inclusion of a passenger-side crash test is a first for any IIHS award. The Institute developed the passenger-side small overlap front crash test after it became clear that some manufacturers weren't paying sufficient attention to the passenger side as they made improvements to achieve better performance in the driver-side small overlap front test.
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.
New midsize SUV ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that headlights are improving when it comes to visibility, but many still need to do a better job of lighting the road ahead while limiting bothersome glare.
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and the 2017 Volvo XC60 are the only models available with good-rated headlights among the 19 midsize SUVs and 18 midsize luxury SUVs evaluated in this new round of tests. Twelve SUVs are available with headlights rated acceptable, while 23 aren’t available with anything other than marginal- or poor-rated headlights.
Academy of Country Music's Male Vocalist of the Year Thomas Rhett will perform LIVE at AT&T Stadium during the nationally televised halftime of the Dallas Cowboys game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving Day, kicking off The Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle Campaign. Donations to the iconic campaign help provide shelter and meals for the homeless and hungry, and Christmas toys for millions of children, in addition to numerous other social service programs The Salvation Army provides year-round.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8179631-salvation-army-red-kettle-fight-for-good/
EUROPAfest 2013
Director of the festival, Luigi Gageos, invites you to the marathon of good music - jazz, blues, pop & classic, between the 9th and 25th of May.
It's all about live-quality music!
Bucharest & Sibiu, 9-25 May
Walden University Scholars of Change focus on the future, whether they are transforming the way children learn, mentoring, or improving living conditions for others. More than 175 Walden University students and alumni submitted inspiring videos of social change in their communities for the university’s 2014 Scholars of Change video contest. These scholars–along with hundreds of their fellow video contributors–are supporting Walden’s mission by putting their knowledge to use for the greater good.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7388451-walden-university-scholars-of-change/
