When you think of a "safe car," what comes to mind? A 1959 Cadillac with tail fins? How about a 1965 Dodge pickup truck with real chrome bumpers? Or a 1975 Ford LTD that weighed in at more than two tons?
What each of these vehicles has in common is size and weight. What each of these lacks is the kind of safety equipment that makes some vehicles rolling off the assembly lines today the safest ever built.
A safe car is one that provides outstanding protection from injury in a car crash for all occupants. Cars built today include safety measures proven to save lives, including:
- Improved crumple zones.
- Three-point seat belts.
- Improved front air bags.
- Side air bags.
1. 2007 Acura MDX
2. 2007 Acura RDX
3. 2007 Honda CR-V
4. 2007 Honda Pilot
5. 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
6. 2007 Kia Sedona
7. 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
8. 2007 Subaru Forester w/ optional electronic stability control (ESC)
9. 2007 Subaru Legacy w/ optional ESC
10. 2008 Ford Taurus w/ optional ESC
11. 2008 Ford Taurus X
2007 Acura MDX
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2007 Acura RDX
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2007 Honda CR-V
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2007 Honda Pilot
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2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
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2007 Kia Sedona
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2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
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2007 Subaru Forester
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2007 Subaru Legacy
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2008 Ford Taurus
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2008 Ford Taurus X
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Photos courtesy of IIHS. |
Above, crumple zones, air bags, and seat belt systems at work. The list is based on crash test data from the Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and (IIHS).
Why these cars made the cut
To make the list, cars must include side air bags, which are designed to protect the driver and the front seat passenger. IIHS and NHTSA data show conclusively that the protection offered by side air bags can save lives and prevent injuries, so only models that include side air bags as standard equipment or offer them as options were considered for the title of "safest cars of all time."
Vehicles must have scored five stars on NHTSA frontal crash tests. That means a 10 percent chance (at most) of being seriously injured.
Each vehicle must also have earned five stars on NHTSA side crash tests, meaning a 5 percent or less chance of injury.
Only the best rated cars based on IIHS crash testing qualified, so we selected only those that garnered a "Best Pick" rating.
Insure.com reviewed the results of all IIHS and NHTSA crash tests. Neither organization performs tests on every car every year. |
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), vehicle size can protect you in both single- and two-vehicle collisions because larger vehicles usually have longer crumple zones that help prevent damage to the safety cage.
Vehicle weight, on the other hand, protects you principally in two-vehicle crashes, says the IIHS. In a head-on crash, for example, the heavier vehicle drives the lighter one backward. This decreases forces inside the heavy vehicle and increases forces in the lighter one. So while all heavy vehicles, even poorly designed ones, offer this advantage in two-vehicle collisions, they might not offer good protection in single-vehicle crashes.
NHTSA testing reflects this trend with a noticeable increase in the number of four- and five-star ratings earned by the full-size passenger car class.
So what does this mean? If you were in a single-car accident, any of the cars we name will provide you with a high level of safety.
If you were in a multiple-car accident, the cars that would most likely provide you with the highest degree of safety are the heaviest. In this case, that's the Acura MDX and Kia Sedona, which both weigh in at over 4,500 lbs.
"When a car strikes an immobile object it immediately starts to decelerate, as do any passengers inside," says Joe Kinianthra of NHTSA. "If you have a rigid block of steel on the front of the car, the front of the car will come to a stop, but the occupants will keep moving."
This means the passengers, who had been moving at the same speed as the car, will decelerate very quickly. According to the tests done by NHTSA, sudden deceleration is what most likely causes serious injuries or fatalities in a car crash, says Kinianthra.
On the other hand, because a car with a crumple zone is designed to absorb the force of a crash, it provides some cushioning and reduces the suddenness of the change in velocity for both car and the passengers, making it safer than a rigid steel frame.
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