Why are vehicle crashworthiness and safety important?
Vehicle crashworthiness is not the same as vehicle safety.
Crashworthiness determines the ability of your vehicle to prevent injury should an accident occur. It determines how well your car will protect you and your family in the event of a crash. Vehicle crashworthiness is composed of such items as air bags, seat belts, crumple zones, side impact protection, head rests and the like.
Vehicle safety refers to equipment or design features used to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Vehicle safety is composed of such items as ABS brakes and vehicle handling design.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts crash testing to determine the crashworthiness of vehicles. The government sets minimum safety standards for cars to minimized injuries sustained in accidents.
The NHTSA tests cars for frontal collisions, side collisions, and rollover resistance. The IIHS also conducts crash testing then evaluates how well the crash-test dummy and the car withstood the crash.
The NHTSA recommends that prospective car buyers look for the following features of crashworthiness and safety:
- seatbelts - tension features, rear lap and shoulder belts, and energy management systems.
- child seat attachment system
- airbags - advanced features such as crash sensitivity and on/off switches
- head injury protection
- head restraints
- anti-lock braking systems
- traction control
- all-wheel drive
- electronic stability control
- tire pressure monitoring system
- automatic dimming rearview mirrors
- daytime running lights
- automatic crash notification
There is an added benefit to purchasing a car with safety features. Insurance companies take safety very seriously. If your car is equipped with safety features, your insurance premium may be lowered. Safety features also increase the resale value of your car.
To see how crash-ready your car may be, check out the following web sites:
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Source: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
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