Recent news articles have brought everybody’s attention back to car safety. Since recent car crash tests have indicated that most of the tested luxury mid-sized vehicles are not as safe as everyone thought, experts have been busy reviewing safety devices and ratings. However, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has been conducting yet another line of safety studies and, according to a recent report, the results of these latest safety studies are in.

According to the news, the top safety picks chosen by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety for the next year models will be the 2013 Ford Escape, the Acura ILC, Subaru BRZ, and the Scion FR-S.

Reports show that front, side, and rear crash tests are all big contributing factors to what makes any vehicle model a top safety pick. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also performs crash tests but its results are different because the crash tests are also different. Since the varied types of tests can affect how cars are evaluated and what kind of safety ratings they receive, many experts prefer to go by IIHS test results and ratings.

Some of the tests that are performed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety consist of rollover crash tests, frontal collision, side and rear crash amongst others. Top picks are often rated good in every type of crash test, according to the federal agency. One of the tests performed with the vehicles chosen as the agency’s top picks is the newly designed front overlap frontal crash test, which consists of moderate overlap collisions that could cause serious injuries in real-life situations.

The federal agency stated that although these vehicles have been rated by how well they did in the newly designed crash test, the new standard has not made the cut when it was time to choose the top picks of the year.

Multiple news articles mentioning the safety tests run by the federal agency reported that the 2013 Ford Escape has improved a great deal since its last model however, according to the federal agency, the new Ford Escape obtained a ‘marginal’rating in roof strength, which is not a great score considering that the vehicle’s roof should be able to support four times its own weight.

The federal agency inspectors have urged consumers to always stay on top of crash tests and car safety ratings that will let them know exactly how safe the vehicle they’re interested in purchasing performs.

For more on IIHS top safety picks, read the full article here:
IIHS Announces Four New Top Safety Picks