Fifty-five cars, sport utility vehicles, pickups and vans will be tested under a stringent new five-star safety rating system that features tougher crash tests and provides a single overall safety score for each vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced.

Crash test ratings don't directly affect car insurance rates, but they're an important consideration for car buyers.

The lineup of 2011 model-year vehicles includes 24 passenger cars, 20 SUVs, two vans and nine pickups. The new testing program will also provide information about new advanced crash avoidance technologies, such as lane departure and forward collision warning systems.

NHTSA Secretary Ray Lahood said the new program raises the safety bar for car and truck manufacturers and gives consumers more safety information about the vehicles they want to buy.

A listing of the vehicles to be tested is available on the agency's Web site. The agency will post testing results as they become available. Because the testing criteria have changed, consumers won't be able to compare the new safety ratings to old ratings. Under the new ratings, it will be tougher for vehicles to achieve high marks.