Buying a new car means finding out what it comes equipped with including safety equipment. These days, most new cars offer a suite of airbags, traction and stability control, and four-wheel antilock brakes. Some vehicles offer important safety enhancements including a rear view backup camera, collision avoidance and active head restraints.
What every car shopper should understand before buying a car is how well this vehicle performs in crash testing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates most vehicles and that information will not only tell you how safe a car is, but give you a good idea on its insurance costs. Indeed, those vehicles that score highest in IIHS testing also offer reduced insurance premiums.
Lets take a look at the four categories the IIHS uses to determine a passenger vehicle's crashworthiness:
Frontal offset -- Head on collisions are oftentimes deadly, thus this test can determine whether a vehicle's front crumple zones and airbags will help you survive an accident. Even the smallest models such as the Fiat 500 and Toyota Yaris perform well in these tests.
Side impact -- If you're t-boned in an accident, your chances of survival decrease as speeds increase. Many cars employ rigid steel beams in doors and offers side impact and side curtain airbags to provide an extra measure of protection. Many compact cars including the Mazda 3, Nissan's Leaf and the Chevrolet Cruze have measured up to the IIHS' requirements.
Roof strength -- Rollover accidents can be deadly, more so with high-profile vehicles such as SUVs. Roof strengthening measures undertaken by manufacturers have made roof pillars stronger even for some large models such as the Buick Enclave and Ford F-150. Stability control keeps these vehicles planted, equipment required by the IIHS for 2012 models.
Rear crash protection/head restraint -- Get hit in the rear and you may survive the accident, but have whiplash injuries. Many cars employ rear crumble zones and some come with active head restraints, the latter offering another measure of support in such accidents. Volvo models are among those big on such safety measures as are certain Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Volkswagen vehicles.
The IIHS assigns Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor ratings for each test area. For any vehicle that gets four "good" marks, the IIHS awards it with its "Top Safety Pick" award. For the 2012 model year 115 vehicles received the top rating the most ever. So, before you buy know the rating and call your insurance agent to find out what rate you'll pay before you make a purchase. If your rate is higher than you expect, it could be that she hasn't received the latest IIHS ratings as posted to IIHS.org.
Matthew C. Keegan is editor and publisher of "Auto Trends Magazine." Matt is also a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport and affiliated websites, an aftermarket supplier of quality auto parts including Chrysler PT Cruiser hoods and Chrysler PT Cruiser scoops.
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