Automobile Crash Safety Ratings
The top 5 cars that are the safest cars out in the automotive market are the 2006 Acura RL, 2006 Ford Five-hundred, and the 2006 Honda Civic. The NHTSA or the National Highway Traffic Safety Association and the IIHS, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety both test and rate all of the cars that come off of the production line. Their ratings consist of 1-5 stars. One star means bad and five stars exhibit excellency. The different rating categories that both the NHTSA and the IIHS perform are Frontal Star Ratings, Side Star Rating and Rollover Rating. In the Frontal Star Ratings, two sub categories based on the risk of head and chest injury on both the driver and passenger sides. Side Star Ratings also contain two sub-categories of both the front seat and rear seating which are also based on the same risk of injury. The Rollover Rating tests the cars handling, traction and weight distribution. There are also two sub categories which consist of 2 wheel drive, or 4 wheel drive. There are five rated categories, but six total because a car cannot be both 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive at the same time: not yet at least.
The 2006 Acura RL is one of the very few cars to receive 5 Stars in all five of the categories in both the NHTSA and IIHS tests. It’s Rollover Rating was “good” which is the IIHS’s highest rating, and received the same scores for both front and side impact tests. For a little under $54,000 you may afford to buy the safest and technologically advanced cars out on the market.
The 2006 Ford Five Hundred costs about $34,000. A cheaper car than the Acura RL, but received a lower score than the Acura RL on the Rollover Ratings. The Ford Five Hundred is also loaded with features but nothing really stands out about this car. It’s main purpose: transportation.
The 2006 Honda Civic is a very affordable car but lacks interior technology, comfort, and looks. Sporting IIHS’s Top Safety Pick award, the Honda Civic is one of the safest smaller cars you may currently purchase that won’t bust your wallet. Honda has developed what they call the ACE. This stands for “Advanced Capability Engineering”. Honda’s new build of the 2006 Civic makes it safer for the smaller cars. The chassis is strong and reinforced which prevents the Civic from getting mauled over by a Hummer or any of those big automobiles. For a little more than $20,000 for the top-of-the-line Civic, I’d say every part of the car is worth buying.
Overall safety has to go to cars over SUVs and trucks. Cars are lower to the ground and weigh less than SUVs and trucks so therefore they are less prone to rollover. Unfortunately, cars have been destroyed when it comes to high-speed collisions and collisions with bigger automobiles. Honda has modernized and upgraded cars to handle collisions and the wear and tear of long distance driving. It will be interesting to see what other categories cars will be rated in as many car manufacturers receive the “5 in 5” ratings.
