The IIHS Safety Test
Author: bgiles | Posted: 08.08.2012Body:
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) was established in 1959 and has provided invaluable services for more than 50 years. It aims to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities across the United States. The IIHS is also responsible for assigning safety ratings to passenger vehicles and certain car products, such as children's booster seats, ensuring that consumers can benefit from reliable and consistent information when choosing their cars and equipment.
The IIHS safety test is the most well known of the organization's various functions, and it refers to a series of tests that all new car models are subjected to. These tests are designed to determine a vehicle's susceptibility to impacts and other hazards. These tests target different parts of the car and can be instrumental for improving the safety of vehicles and the development of new technologies to counteract any problems that are identified.
Frontal offset impact tests are one of the core elements of IIHS testing, and differ from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment tests by offsetting up to 40 percent of the front end of a vehicle to the oncoming hazard (a deformable barrier being approached at speeds around 40 mph). This offsetting has been demonstrated to offer a clearer overview of a car's ability to withstand frontal impacts, compared to full-width testing. However, restraint systems such as seatbelts and frontal airbags can be more effectively tested using full frontal crash tests.
Side impact crash tests are another important part of the IIHS testing cycle. They are carried out using specially designed test rigs that simulate the impact of the front end of a pickup truck or large SUV hitting the side of a vehicle, which will typically require auto glass replacement and other serious repairs. If vehicles are equipped with side airbags, this is their time to shine during testing, and the structural integrity of vehicles can also be brought into sharp focus during these tests. Many passenger cars that perform well in front and rear impacts are often let down in side impact tests.
The rear crash protection of cars is also tested, which can be especially important for reducing the number of whiplash injuries experienced as a result of rear impacts. The IIHS also performs roof strength evaluations to test how well a car deals with rollovers - events that account for almost 25 per cent of fatalities in passenger vehicles.
About Author:
Bruce Giles auto glass replacementwrites for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
Bruce Giles auto glass replacementwrites for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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