With all the advancements in technology, you would think that the number of pedestrian death would decrease. However, America seems to be struggling to lower the number of deadly walker accidents, especially since the country registered 53% more pedestrian deaths during 2018 than they did back in 2009.
These events have prompted organizations such as the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) to rethink the strategies they have. For this annual vehicle safety statement, this independent organization focused specifically on pedestrian and rider safety while concluding which cars could be eligible for their two prizes – the “Best Safety Pick”, as well as the “Best Safety Pick Plus” reward.
Their objective? Well, the media relationships executive at this organization, Joe Young told reporters that their goal was to encourage vehicle manufacturers to quickly equip their cars with technology that can be life-saving for them, people traveling with them, as well as pedestrians.
While the organization behind this report did not introduce pedestrian crash prevention strategies and ratings into the report until last year, companies that produce cars with implemented head-on crash restraint technology and systems in 2020 were more likely to get the aforementioned, highest safety reward. But, that fact alone was not enough.
Transportations that featured the crash interception technology and systems were also required to score “well or perfect” in the organization’s car-to-car, as well as car-to-pedestrian crash restraint tests and reports. The organization also required all models to get a “Great” or “Fair” headlight score, as well as the top “Excellent” rating at the passengers-sides tiny overlap collision exams.
Minivans And Pickups Flunk While Hyundai, Tesla, And Subaru Score The Top Safety Rewards
In its final report, the IIHS claimed that no minivan or pickup truck vehicle models qualified for either the “Top Safety Pick” or the “Top Safety Pick Plus” Awards. However, there are other vehicle models that did manage to get one or two awards from this organization and they are usually responsible for car accidents that cause personal injuries, according to 4injured.com.
Vehicle models such as Hyundai’s Nexo model, Lexus’ NX car, Honda Insight, Subaru Cross trek Combination, Tesla III, and the G-70 coming from Genesis were all given the “Top Safety Pick Plus Award”. They got these rewards because of their high-classified and high-quality lights, and the fact that they all did well in the passenger-side little flap head collision examination.
In order to help drivers avoid and prevent accidents, IIHS noted that the highlight needs to provide a lot of visibility without putting the drivers of the approaching vehicles in danger or risk of being negatively impacted by the extreme light and brightness of the spotlights.
The report goes on to explain that the difference among good-rated lights and badly manufactured ones can mean a lot when it comes to seeing an obstruction or hindrance in time to slow down or stop the car before smashing into it. This means that the spotlights need to be high-quality.
Additionally, you should know that the “Top Safety Pick Plus” and the “Top Safety Pick” awards winners all come with an automatic emergency brake tech that is a major – and perhaps the most important – part of the systems that they usually have integrated.
Although the IIHS organization only calls for the technology and systems that can avoid and stop collisions with other cars on the road, auto manufacturers are already making a move to add additional software and hardware that can and will prevent pedestrian accidents from happening.
Again, according to the annual report, some of the companies that stood out from the crowd include Mazda, which is a company that got the most “Top Safety Pick Plus” awards, and of course, the aforementioned Hyundai that got the most prizes from all the companies that were involved in the report.
The IIHS’ Stance on Safe Cars For Teenagers
By now, you probably know that this organization’s ratings on new cars, however, did you ever consider their stance on cars for teenagers? In a survey conducted by this company that incorporated calling parents of teenagers, over 80 percent of them said that they bought a used car for their children.
With that in mind, the company decided to frequently publish the most affordable used cars that comply with the most important safety aspect for teenage drivers. Naturally, there are two lists – one that features the best choices, and one the good ones. The prices will vary depending on the model, but you can find vehicles that go from 1.000 to 10.000 dollars, hence, parents could opt for buying a safe vehicle with whatever money they have.
The recommendations are based on four things including:
- Teenagers Should Not Have Powerful Cars – the first thing that this organization states is that the car should not have powerful and strong engines. Especially since this is what prompts and tempts the young drivers to test their vehicle’s limits – as well as their own limits.
- If The Car Is Heavier And Bigger, it is Automatically Safer – since they will be better and heavier, they will also be able to protect them if an accident occurs. Smaller SUVs are also included in the list since they weight similarly to larger car models.
- They Cars Need to Have Good Safety Rating – besides looking at all the information you can find, at a minimum, you should opt for a car that has IIHS good reports for the head-on, side, roof, and side examinations. Also, check if the vehicles have at least 4 stars on the NHTSA.
- Electronic Stability is Crucial – this characteristic is a one that can help teenagers operate and maintain control over the car, especially on slippery or curved roads.
Conclusion
If you are a driver that is looking into their purchasing options for a new car during 2020, the IIHS ratings could serve as an important guide that you can follow. After all, six thousand pedestrians were killed in car accidents during 2018 alone. It is the driver’s responsibility and obligation to do all in her or his power to avoid these fatal accidents – and choosing a vehicle that is fitted with the latest crash prevention technology is a good start in avoiding these deadly events.
