Is Your Small SUV Safe?

If you are driving a 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue or 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, you can feel comfortable knowing that your vehicle earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. The Institute completed a series of crash test evaluations to find out how 8 small SUV models perform in auto accidents.

According to a press release by the Institute, auto manufacturers have been improving the crashworthiness of their vehicles and have installed side air bags and electronic stability control. Electronic stability control is a safety feature that helps avoid crashes by engaging automatically when instability is detected. Drivers won’t even know when the electronic stability control is triggered, but it is a crucial instrument in helping drivers maintain control of the vehicle. Electronic stability control reduces the risk of a fatal single-car rollover by as much as 70 percent.

The Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Rogue and Volkswagen Tiguan all earned good ratings in the three evaluations by the Institute. The Ford Escape’s rating also applies to the hybrid version, which is sold as the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute, in addition to the Ford Escape.

The three evaluations conducted by the Institute include front and side crash tests and an analysis of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash in rear crashes. The frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on the results of 40 miles per hour frontal offset crash tests. Researchers measure the intrusion into the occupant compartment following the crash to determine the potential injuries from the car accident. Side crash tests look at the performance of the vehicle when it is hit in the side by a barrier traveling at 31 miles per hour. The barrier is designed to replicate the front end of a pickup or SUV. Intrusion into the occupant compartment is also measured to calculate injuries resulting from a side impact crash.

Seat/head restraints are evaluated by the Institute to determine rear crash protection. The height of the restraint and the distance behind the back of the head is measured. A crash dummy is used to measure the force on the neck in an auto accident.

For more information regarding the results of the crashworthiness tests of the small SUV models, visit the Institute’s website.

If you have been injured in a car crash in Tennessee, contact the experienced auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates at (800) 337-HURT (4878) or (615) 356-2000 for expert legal advice.

Phillip Miller & Associates
631 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 356-2000
Fax: (615) 242-1739
Toll Free: (800) 337-HURT
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