Highway Safety and Crash Testing Organizations

NHTSA developed a five-star crash test rating for vehicles and IIHS developed a four-point rating of good, acceptable, marginal, or poor for vehicles it crash-tests. IIHS also provides a four-part bumper crash test that shows the repair costs of low-speed (5 mph) crashes into poles and offset barriers that simulate common parking lot mishaps.

Marketing
As those crash results hit the media, automakers began to use good crash-test results as selling points. As vehicle crash-test ratings moved up from a majority of poor to mediocre ratings, to good ratings, the automakers began moving toward crash avoidance technology to prevent crashes from happening at all. The Electronic Stability Control program, based on anti-lock braking systems, was the first of such technology to show substantial promise as a crash avoidance tool, reducing crashes on wet roads for passenger cars by 75 percent and for SUVs on wet roads by 88 percent. NHTSA is considering mandating this type of system on all future passenger vehicles.


Both NHTSA and IIHS have web sites that offer consumers a wealth of information. The IIHS site (www.iihs.org) is more straightforward than the NHTSA site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov), but each site offers its own wealth of information.

Recalls
NHTSA can mount a recall when a safety defect is uncovered. Complaints from consumers are investigated and, if a safety defect is found, the manufacturer is ordered to conduct a recall and repair the defect. The direct route to finding recall information on the NHTSA site is to log on to Vehicles & Equipment at the top of the site then click on Recalls/Defects on the left sidebar and plug in the year, make, and model to get recall information. The site also offers technical service bulletins (TBS) or advisories issued by manufacturers to the dealership service departments. These are not safety nor emission problems. However, if your vehicle is under warranty and the service department can confirm that your vehicle has the problem, it can be fixed for free. Only a summary of the TSBs is free on the NHTSA site. For a fee, you can get the entire TSB mailed to you.

Research Help
NHTSA also offers a wealth of information on child safety seats: Recalled models; how to correctly install a child safety seat; what seat is right for your child; as well as local child safety seat inspection sites. The site offers crash tests and rollover ratings for each vehicle the agency tests. A downloadable brochure on how to choose a safer car also offers good buying tips.