If you’re currently shopping for a brand-new vehicle, in addition to appearance, fuel efficiency, performance and price, safety probably ranks high on your priority list. Crash protection, especially when you’re transporting children, is certainly important. But even with all the new safety features available on 2019 models, finding the safest vehicle for your family can be challenging. Thanks to the ongoing research efforts of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), finding a safer vehicle is now easier than ever before.
The IIHS (www.iihs.org) was founded in 1959 as an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to reducing losses related to motor vehicle crashes including injuries, property damage and deaths. To support those efforts, the IIHS started the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), and both organizations are now wholly supported through funding supplied by members of the auto insurance industry.
After initially focusing on crash prevention, the IIHS then expanded its scope to reducing crash-related losses and improving vehicle safety by using a modern, scientific approach to:
Thanks in part to IIHS’ continuing efforts, the number of traffic-related fatalities in the U.S. has dropped since 1979.
Three years after its state-of-the-art Vehicle Research Center (VRC) opened in 1992, the IIHS/HLDI began publishing their annual Top Safety Pick ratings. Yearly, the IIHS conducts numerous safety tests on 130 to 160 of the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. Each of those vehicle models are then put through 80 to 100 rigorous crash tests at the VRC. Based on those test results, the IIHS/HLDI then assigns an overall vehicle safety rating that’s determined by how a given vehicle performs within each crash category.
For example, a “good” rating for “front overlap protection” lowers an occupant’s odds of being killed in a crash by 40% compared to a “poor” rating. A “good” rating in the “side-crash protection” category reduces the fatality risk by roughly 70%. When finished, only the safest vehicles are awarded a “Top Safety Pick” or “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating.
Criteria used by the IIHS/HLDI to determine the safest vehicles for model year 2019 were:
According to the IIHS, heavier vehicles generally still afford more crash protection than do smaller, lighter vehicles. In other words, a smaller car that qualifies for a “Top Safety” award may not necessarily protect its occupants better than a large pickup or SUV that didn’t make their list.
Based on receiving an overall Top Safety Plus designation, here are the safest vehicles to drive for the 2019 model year (1):
Note: No large SUVs, minivans or pickups received a Top Safety Plus rating.
Even the safest vehicles can still be involved in accidents. When your ride needs some collision repairs, take it to an auto body or glass repair shop featured in the nationwide Carwise referral network. ICAR and ASE-certified technicians there have the training, equipment and experience to restore your vehicle like new again promptly and reliably. Most shops in the Carwise network warranty their outcomes to put your mind at ease, and speak directly with insurance companies so you don’t have to.
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