Insurance Institute for Highway Safety releases latest edition of its safety report
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its latest safety report concerning vehicles the insurance industry deems to be the safest for drivers. How safe these vehicles are can have a major impact on auto insurance costs while also ensuring that consumers are protected against disasters. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has made it more difficult for automakers to win a top safety rating through the introduction of tougher safety criteria.
Automakers must comply with stricter safety criteria to receive highest safety rating
In order for vehicles to attain a top safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety they must have front-end crash prevention systems that include some type of automatic braking. The organization has also introduced other criteria that make obtaining the highest safety rating more difficult, but 48 vehicles have managed to receive the rating of Top Safety Pick+. Last year, 51 vehicles managed to obtain this safety rating, but the insurance industry has become more strict concerning safety issues.
Safest vehicles come from foreign automakers
Notably, the majority of vehicles receiving the Top Safety Pick+ rating come from foreign automakers. Toyota, in particular, has the most vehicles that have won the top safety rating. Toyota is followed by Honda, Volkswagen, Audi, and Suburu. Chrysler is the only U.S. automaker to receive the Top Safety Pick+ rating. Foreign automakers have long received praise for their vehicles, both in terms of safety and performance.
Vehicles that have received the top safety rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety may also come with lower auto insurance premiums. The insurance industry typically prices insurance coverage using a range of risk modeling methods. Safe vehicles are, by design, meant to protect drivers in the event of an accident. As such, these vehicles are less expensive to insure, as they pose relatively limited risk to drivers because of their safety systems.
