Wednesday, January 24, 2018

How Safety Ratings Work

When it comes to selecting a vehicle, whether it’s a family vehicle you plan on taking on road trips or a heavy-duty truck you plan on using for hauling, safety is top of mind for any shopper. If you are shopping for a new car, truck or SUV, you are likely comparing a number of factors and safety ratings is no doubt one of them. You have probably seen that a number of agencies rate vehicles for safety, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Consumer Reports, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). At Melloy Dodge, we want to share more information about how these safety ratings are determined, so you can pick the best car for you!

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent nonprofit organization that focuses on, among other things, crash avoidance and crashworthiness. Crash tests are conducted, and vehicles are labeled “Top Safety Pick+” or “Top Safety Pick” if they achieve good ratings based on their four-point rating system. In addition, if vehicles have safety technology features like a rear-view backup camera, blind-spot monitoring and emergency braking, they receive a rating of basic, advanced, or superior.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a government agency that provides consumers with crash protection and rollover safety. The NHTSA’s 5-star Safety Rating system examines what happens to a vehicle in a variety of crash scenarios, including a frontal crash, side crash, and a rollover. Five stars indicates the highest safety rating, while one star is the lowest. Although it is impossible to accurately predict how a vehicle will protect passengers in any given crash situation, the tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provide an excellent starting point and allow you to compare relative safety between different makes and models.

Consumer Reports  

Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that conducts research to help consumers make wise purchase decisions. Consumer Reports compiles IIHS and NHTSA car safety ratings to give shoppers an overview of crash test data and rollover data for any given make or model of vehicle.


When you’re shopping for a vehicle, be sure to consult each of these sources for information on a vehicle’s safety. Pick a vehicle with a five-star overall safety rating like the 2018 Dodge Challenger, or a vehicle with plenty of safety features like the 2018 Dodge Durango with parking assistance, adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. Visit Melloy Dodge to learn more about our vehicles and their safety features and ratings! 

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