Car Safety

Through the first six months of 2020, when much of the country was under shelter-in-place restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of traffic fatalities jumped 20% from 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Safety Council. The estimated increase in the death rate...Read More»

Breaking: People are fooled by marketing. This might not be news to anyone following the news, however when it comes to drivers buying new cars with new technology, the misinformation can be fatal for anyone on the road. AAA has joined the chorus of safety agencies and consumer watchdog groups in...Read More»

Hyundai and Kia will recall more than 591,000 sedans and crossovers for a faulty anti-lock braking system that can cause an electrical short, which may lead to a fire, the automakers reported to federal safety officials last month. Hyundai announced it will recall 151,205 2013-2015 Hyundai Santa Fe...Read More»

Kia's newest crossover—and its smallest—aced crash-testing by the insurance industry-funded IIHS but poor headlight efficacy kept the small crossover from climbing the agency's honor roll, safety officials announced Thursday. The 2021 Kia Seltos earned top marks in all crash tests...Read More»

New 2020 Ford F-150 trucks are all equipped with standard automatic emergency braking technology, the automaker confirmed Thursday. Previously, automatic emergency braking was reserved for Lariat trims and higher, although sometime during the 2020 model year, F-150 XLT models received the...Read More»

Volvo's best-selling models earned five-star overall safety ratings from the NHTSA for 2021 models. Every 2021 Volvo vehicle tested earned the highest crash-test honors, including the 2021 Volvo XC90 three-row SUV, 2021 Volvo XC60 mid-size crossover, 2021 Volvo XC40 small crossover, 2021 Volvo S60...Read More»

The 2021 Subaru Ascent joins the rest of the Subaru crossover SUV family in earning a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS. The highest safety honor from the insurance-industry funded non-profit resulted from the addition of adaptive LED headlights with automatic high beams as standard equipment on...Read More»

The safest cars don't need to be expensive and teen drivers don't need to be driving old beaters, according to a new analysis. The IIHS teamed up with Consumer Reports to develop a list of the 65 safest cars that are valued between $5,300 and $19,600. This is the first time the two organizations...Read More»

The 2020 Audi E-Tron Sportback electric crossover SUV earned a Top Safety Pick+ for acing all crash tests and having advanced safety features that rated "Superior," the IIHS announced Monday. New for 2020, the E-Tron Sportback is as much wagon as SUV, though Audi and other German automakers are...Read More»

The lack of a roof does not mean a lack of safety when it comes to cars, according to an IIHS study released on Tuesday. Even with cloth tops, modern convertibles don't pose a greater crash and fatality risk than sedans or coupes. In fact, there were fewer crashes and fatalities in convertibles. An...Read More»

Since the spread of SUVs beginning in the late-1990s, safety advocates have decried the effect of these larger, heavier utility vehicles on car crashes. That same argument applies today to pedestrians, even as advanced safety features have proliferated alongside crossover SUVs, the IIHS suggested...Read More»

Small cars continue to be the most dangerous type of vehicle for drivers, according to a report released by the IIHS on Thursday. Small cars and minicars accounted for 15 of the 20 deadliest vehicles for drivers, with the Ford Fiesta having the most driver deaths during the period of the study...Read More»

Three out of four new-car dealers could accurately identify critical safety features aimed at making new cars safer for teen drivers, but only after most were prompted by shoppers to identify those features—and most of their information was vague. That's according to a study released last...Read More»

The 2020 Audi A6 Allroad wagon earned a Top Safety Pick+ designation, the highest safety award bestowed by the IIHS, the automaker announced Monday. The Allroad's sedan counterpart, the 2020 Audi A6, also earned a TSP+ designation. Both vehicles earned "Good" ratings on all six crash tests, but the...Read More»

Federal testers last week said the new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport will manage nearly identical fuel economy to its counterpart, despite its larger engine. The EPA lists the new Crosstrek Sport at 27 mpg city, 34 highway, 29 combined, when equipped with a continuously variable automatic...Read More»

The IIHS reported Thursday that the new Jeep Wrangler, which was last comprehensively updated for the 2018 model year, tipped over onto its passenger side during its driver-side small overlap crash test. The insurance industry-funded safety watchdog said the Wrangler was tested three times, twice...Read More»

Estimated traffic fatalities decreased in 2019 despite an increase in driving, according to a report from the NHTSA released on Wednesday. There were projected to be 36,120 traffic fatalities in 2019, which is a 1.2% decrease from 2018. It marks the third consecutive year of declines from a...Read More»

The Buick Encore isn't going anywhere for 2021, despite a crossover on the lot that shares its name—the Encore GX. Still, the 2021 Encore gets top marks from federal testers for crash safety, according to ratings released this week. The Encore GX is slightly larger and was expected to replace...Read More»