The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been performing their New Car Assessment Program, perhaps better known as the Five-Star Safety Rating System, since 1978. This year, however, they have decided to shake things up and have drastically revised the system. Due to the major changes, the 2011 models cannot be compared to previous years, and the ratings are not likely to be shown on new vehicles for at least a few more weeks, if not longer.
One major change to the test is the addition of a small female dummy. In years past, a medium-sized male dummy was used in all tests to represent all drivers. However, the NHTSA realized that this did not properly represent the American population. The new dummy is being used to represent smaller women and children, and injuries sustained to the smaller dummy will be compared to those of the larger. Other new features of the test include a side pole test, used to represent a vehicle’s collision with narrow stationary objects, such as trees or telephone poles, and the disclosure of whether or not vehicles come with crash-avoidance technology.
The NHTSA made the decision to update the test because they feel that after several years of being tested in the same way, automakers have figured out the protocol, and know exactly what they need to do to earn a top rating. Last year, almost every vehicle tested earned 4- or 5-star ratings, so the NHTSA decided it was time to raise the standards. This year, new models will also be awarded an overall score for the first time, based on their scores on each category. Each category will weigh in differently, and the new overall scores will make it easier for consumers to compare vehicles.
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