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Tag Archives: insurance institute for highway safety
Life Saving Seat Belt Reminders Improving
Automakers have moved quickly to install louder, more persistent seat belt reminders, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today. IIHS began rating the devices in 2022. The first year, only 17% of the new models tested earned a good rating; 65% were rated marginal or poor. However, 62% of the 2024 models tested so far are rated good. Only 24% are rated marginal or poor.
“The math is pretty simple,” said David Kidd, the IIHS senior research scientist who led that research as well as the development of the seat belt reminder rating program. “We found that an audible reminder that lasts at least 90 seconds increased belt use by around 30%. That means we could save almost 1,600 lives a year if every vehicle on the road was equipped with a good-rated system.” Continue reading
IIHS On Intelligent Speed Assistance
“ISA systems have been around for several decades. Using GPS devices with speed limit maps, onboard sensors or cameras that “read” signs or both, they can identify the speed limit in the vehicle’s location and detect when the driver exceeds it, but they vary in their response. Unlike the unit I used, which worked by restricting the engine’s output, some systems only provide an audible or visual warning or make the accelerator harder to press. As of July 1, new vehicles sold in Europe are required to have ISA that at least provides a warning, and the California legislature is currently considering a similar mandate for vehicles sold in the state.
“Even without a legal requirement, ISA systems of various types are starting to appear as options on new vehicles in the U.S., and companies such as MAGTEC and Sturdy sell aftermarket ISA systems, primarily targeting fleet operators. Navigation apps also include speed warnings if the user chooses. Continue reading
Posted in autonomous vehicles, blog, electronics, engineering, litigation, news analysis, people, public health, safety, shows and events, software defined vehicles, software defined vehicles
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ian Reagan, insurance institute for highway safety, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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IIHS Toughens Front Crash Prevention Testing
“This is a vital update to one of our most successful test programs,” IIHS President David Harkey claimed. “The vast majority of new vehicles now come with automatic emergency braking, and our research shows the technology prevents as many as half of all front-to-rear crashes. This new, tougher evaluation targets some of the most dangerous front-to-rear crashes that are still happening.” Continue reading
Almost All New US Light Vehicles have Automatic Braking
All 20 participating automakers have fulfilled a voluntary pledge to equip nearly all the light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB), according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Five new manufacturers installed AEB on more than 95% of the light vehicles they produced between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, to meet the deadline set in a previous agreement.* General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati and Porsche all dramatically increased the proportion of their vehicles equipped with the technology to meet the target. Kia, which was already close last year, also crossed the finish line.
Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen and Volvo fulfilled the voluntary commitment in previous years. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, insurance, safety, transportation
Tagged aeb, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automatic emergency braking, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, consumer reports, David Harkey, insurance institute for highway safety, Ken Zino, nhtsa, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, William Wallace
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Chrysler Pacifica Gets Top Safety Pick Award from IIHS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety* said today that the 2023-24 Chrysler Pacifica minivan is rated as a Top Safety Pick. The Pacifica had a good rating in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front and original moderate overlap front tests, as well as an acceptable or good rating in the updated side test. Continue reading
Deadly Cocktail – Marijuana and Alcohol
“Alcohol impairment is associated with almost 30% of the fatalities on our roadways, and we have made very little progress to reduce this toll over the past three decades. Now we are adding another impairing substance to the mix,” IIHS President David Harkey said ahead of his presentation at the annual meeting of the Governors’ Highway Safety Association in Louisville, Kentucky. Continue reading
Web Wacko of the Month – Quicksilver Magazine on IIHS
A reader sent me a copy of Quicksilver, the magazine of the International Mercury Owners Assn., whose winter 2012 issue contains a piece by John Harvey claiming that the well publicized offset crash test between a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1959 Bel Air was rigged. It is Harvey’s contention that the Bel Air did not have an engine in it when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed the disparate Chevys in a spectacular 40 mph impact. This is pure, unadulterated hooey. The Bel Air was in running condition, and the offset crash test was conducted in the presence of the news media. The Bel Air – its engine forced rearward into the occupant compartment, has been on display ever since at the IIHS Vehicle Research Center. Continue reading
Truck Underride Guards Fail in Crashes so IIHS Wants New Rule
In 2009, 70% of the 3,163 people who died in all large truck crashes were occupants of cars or other passenger vehicles. Underride crashes makes death or serious injury more likely since the upper part of the passenger vehicle’s occupant compartment typically crushes as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle safety cage. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, engineering, safety, transportation
Tagged adrian lund, auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, fars, iihs, insurance institute for highway safety, Ken Zino, nhtsa, safety, tractor trailer safety, traffic fatalities, truck safety, truck underride guards, underride guards, zino
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IIHS – Lax Helmet Laws Kill More Than 20,000 Motorcyclists
More than 20,000 motorcyclists who died in crashes in the U.S. since the mid-1970s would have survived if stronger helmet laws had been in place, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. Briefly, If every state had required all riders to wear helmets from 1976 to 2022, a total of 22,058 motorcyclists’ lives could have been saved. The number represents 11% of all rider fatalities during those years.
“Requiring all riders to wear helmets is a commonsense rule not that different from requiring people in cars to buckle up,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “We have an obligation to protect everyone on our roadways through smart policy.” Continue reading →