IIHS and HLDI News

2011 BMW 5 series earns Top Safety Pick award
After earning good ratings in all 4 safety evaluations, the redesigned BMW 5 series achieves Top Safety Pick status among large cars. This is the first 5 series ever to earn the Top Safety Pick award, and the first BMW to achieve this since the Institute implemented a new rollover test requirement. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the 5 series. The good rating for side impact protection is a significant improvement over the previous generation 5, which was rated only marginal in the same test. The Institute's side impact test represents a strike from an SUV or pickup.

Mitsubishi Lancer earns the 2010 Top Safety Pick award
After earning a good rating for rollover protection, the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer earns the Institute's Top Safety Pick award. The Lancer, a small car, is the first Mitsubishi to qualify for the top safety designation since the Institute implemented the new rollover test. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest rating for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the Lancer. Based on research of real-world crashes, the Institute evaluates rollover protection using a roof strength test. In this test a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

Delaware bans the use of hand-held phones and text messaging by all drivers
Delaware joins 8 other states in banning the use of hand-held phones by all drivers and 29 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective Jan. 2, 2011. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Massachusetts joins 28 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Massachusetts joins 28 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective Sept. 30, 2010. Additionally, drivers younger than 18 are banned from using all phones. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Status Report: Vol. 45, No. 6
Older drivers aren?t causing more crashes than they used to, and they aren?t dying more often when they do crashIgnition interlocks prove more attractive to DWI offenders than house arrestRaising alcohol prices and taxes reduces excessive drinking, alcohol-related crashes, and other harm, task force findsRecorder rule for large trucks applies to just the worst offendersElectronic stability control lowers risk of a fatal crash by a third

Louisiana strengthens texting ban from secondary to primary enforcement
Louisiana joins 23 other states with a primary enforcement texting ban allowing officers to cite drivers solely for texting, effective August 15, 2010. Four other states have secondary all driver texting bans. Details on cellphone and texting bans in all states

New crash test results: Lexus HS 250h and Suzuki Kizashi
The 2010 Lexus HS 250h, a midsize luxury hybrid, earns a good rating for side impact protection and an acceptable rating for roof strength in rollover crashes. The HS 250h also is rated good for frontal crash protection based on a test conducted earlier. The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, a midsize moderately priced car, earns an acceptable rating for roof strength in rollover crashes. This model will be evaluated for front and side crash protection later this year.

Audi, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen models earn the 2010 Top Safety Pick award
Based on new rollover test results the 2010 Audi A4 and Q5, Ford Flex and Fusion (twins Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ), Hyundai Tucson, Lincoln MKT, and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick award. Each vehicle earns the highest rating of good for roof strength in rollover crashes. To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle's weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest rating of good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on all of these models. Earlier this year Ford made changes to the roof structures of the Flex, Fusion, and MKT. The award applies to Flex models built after January 2010, Fusions built after April 2010, MKTs built after March 2010.

Oklahoma bans all cellphone use and text messaging by young drivers
Oklahoma joins 27 other states in banning cellphone use by young drivers, effective November 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Colorado, Georgia, and Vermont strengthen occupant restraint laws
Colorado joins 27 other states requiring children 7 years and younger to ride in a child restraint or a booster seat, effective Aug. 1, 2010. The previous law required booster seats only for children 4 and 5 years of age. Additionally, children younger than 1 year must ride restrained in the rear seat. As of June 3, 2010, Georgia will require occupants of pickup trucks to wear safety belts. Vermont has a secondary adult belt law but has increased the ages covered by the primary child restraint law from 15 years and younger to 17 years and younger, effective June 1, 2010. For details on safety belt use laws in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/SafetyBeltUse.aspx

Georgia joins 27 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Georgia joins 27 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective July 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

First rollover tests of midsize SUVs: 5 of 12 models earn marginal ratings
ARLINGTON, VA — New test results show that some automakers are doing a good job of designing vehicle roofs that perform much better than current federal rollover standards require. The roofs on other vehicles need improvement. In the first Insurance Institute for Highway Safety roof strength tests of midsize SUVs, 6 earn the top rating of good for rollover protection, 1 is acceptable, and 5 others earn the second lowest rating of marginal.

Vermont joins 26 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Vermont joins 26 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective June 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Kansas enacts primary belt law
Kansas joins 30 other states with primary enforcement of the safety belt use law, effective June 10, 2010. With the addition of Kansas, the belt laws in 25 states cover all rear occupants, too. To compare safety belt laws in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/SafetyBeltUse.aspx

New Hampshire weakens GDL law
New Hampshire has loosened its night driving restrictions for young beginning drivers. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, drivers covered under GDL are barred from driving between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., compared with 1-5 a.m. previously. For details on licensing laws for young drivers, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/graduatedLicenseIntro.aspx

Kansas joins 25 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers
Kansas joins 25 other states in banning text messaging by all drivers, effective July 1, 2010. For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

Three vehicles from Toyota earn the 2010 Top Safety Pick award
Based on new rollover test results the 2011 Toyota Avalon and Sienna, and the 2010 Lexus RX are the latest vehicles to earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick award. The award recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest rating of good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on all three of these models. Redesigned for the '11 model year, the Sienna is the first minivan to earn the Institute's top safety designation since good performance for rollover protection was added to the criteria for 2010.

Maryland allows medium-speed vehicles on some roads
Maryland joins 9 other states with laws specifically regulating the use of medium-speed vehicles on public roads, effective Oct. 1, 2010. In Maryland, a medium-speed vehicle is defined as having a maximum speed capability of greater than 25 mph but less than 55 mph and they may only use roads posted 5 mph higher than its maximum speed capability. To compare medium-speed vehicle laws in all states go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/mediumspeedvehicles.aspx

Low-speed vehicles and minitrucks shouldn't share busy public roads with regular traffic
ARLINGTON, VA — More states are allowing a relatively new breed of vehicle on public roads, but crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show why the mix of low-speed vehicles (LSVs) or minitrucks and regular traffic is a deadly combination. LSVs are designed for tooling around residential neighborhoods, and minitrucks are for hauling cargo off-road. While these vehicles have a lot of appeal as a way to reduce emissions and cut fuel use, they don't have to meet the basic safety standards that cars and pickups do, and they aren't designed to protect their occupants in crashes.

Status Report: Vol. 45, No. 5
Low-speed vehicles and minitrucks are showing up on more public roads, and new crash tests illustrate the riskCrash avoidance technologies for passenger vehicles could prevent or mitigate about 1 of every 3 fatal crashesLarge trucks will benefit from crash avoidance technologyEjection is a problem when LSVs crash because doors are optional and occupants don't always use safety belts