Insurance Institute For Highway Safety

The 2009 Nissan Murano was the best performer in new crash tests of midsize sport utility vehicles, while the Hummer H3 had one of the poorest showings, according to results released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute, which is funded by the insurance industry, said the redesigned Murano was the only vehicle among the nine tested to get the highest rating of "good" in front, side and rear crash tests. It praised Nissan Motor Co.

Those minor fender benders might cost more than you think, according to new crash test results released Thursday by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that most bumpers on mid-size cars do little to prevent costly damage to vehicles, even in low-speed crashes of 6 miles an hour or less. The crashes frequently occur in parking lots and in commuter traffic. Testing for the first time by the Arlington, Va.

Head restraints in many passenger vehicles provided marginal or poor protection against neck injuries and whiplash, the insurance industry reported in new crash test results. Only 22 of 75 vehicles tested in a simulated rear crash at 20 mph received the top score of good from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many 2007 vehicles got the lowest score of poor in the tests.

When it comes to buying a crash-worthy convertible, paying more doesn't always get you more, researchers have found. With starting prices above $39,000, the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4 Cabriolet were among the most expensive of 10 ragtops tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, yet they placed near the bottom of the safety rankings.

The 2008 BMW 5 Series was the worst performer in new side-impact crash tests of luxury sedans by the insurance industry. The Acura RL, Kia Amanti and Volvo S80 all earned the highest rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, according to results released today. The Cadillac STS and Mercedes E-Class earned the second-highest rating. Side-impact crashes are the second-most common type of fatal crash, behind frontal crashes, killing about 9,000 people on U.S.

Jarring images of vehicles crashing into test barriers are becoming more prevalent on the Internet, giving safety-conscious car shoppers another tool when searching for the right car. Consumer Reports offers a library of crash test videos for more than 200 vehicles on its website, accompanied by narration describing how each vehicle performed. The tests were conducted by the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which issues safety ratings for vehicles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Thursday that it had altered a part of its crash test program, allowing manufacturers of top-rated vehicles to provide crash test data that can be verified by the institute before it issues a score. The change affects its frontal offset crash test, which evaluates a vehicle traveling 40 mph and striking a barrier on the driver's side.

In the latest crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, South Korean automaker Kia Motors Corp.'s redesigned 2006 Sedona minivan achieved the best score the group has ever awarded a minivan. With the institute's top rating of "good" for front-, side- and rear-impact crashes, the Sedona outscored even the popular Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna models, long the industry leaders in crash safety ratings. The nonprofit, Arlington, Va.

Ten thousand fatal automobile crashes a year, or nearly one-third of such accidents in the U.S., could be prevented if more vehicles were equipped with technology that helps to keep them from rolling over, the insurance industry says in a study released today. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the technology, electronic stability control, reduced the risk of single-vehicle rollovers involving sport utility vehicles by 80%, and by 77% for passenger cars.

Driver deaths in side-impact collisions dropped by more than half in sport utility vehicles equipped with head-protecting side air bags, insurance industry research shows. Side air bags offering head protection could save the lives of about 2,000 drivers a year if every vehicle on the road had the equipment, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimated in a study to be released today.