Everybody knows about crash tests. Their kind of a joke – there’s even a band named after them, the Crash Test Dummies. Did you ever stopped to think about how important crash tests really are? Recent studies show that those silly tests have actually created new safety measures that have saved thousands of lives. Every year thousands of crash test dummies are used to simulate head-on crashes, side impact crashes, rollover accidents and other impacts to determine which safety features offer drivers the most protection.
Crash tests not only test various safety features, they are also used to rate the overall safety of a particular vehicle. Drivers of highly rated cars are much safer than those who drive lower rated cars. Some studies show that as many as three times more deaths occur in cars that have low safety ratings.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is in charge of the crash tests. They take data from various tests along with information from fatal real life crashes to determine which vehicles are the safest to drive. Their ratings have reduced driver death rates by 52% in sports utility vehicles and 37% in traditional cars. Cars are safer because of repeated crash testing of automobiles. As more tests are conducted, the safety of our vehicles will only increase.
It’s obvious that the safety ratings attached to cars have real value and meaning. Those beat up crash test dummies sacrifice a lot of paint and pain to help create vehicles that are safe for all of us. Anyone interested in purchasing a vehicle should carefully consider its safety rating before making a final decision. Who knows? You just may find that one of those silly crash test dummies actually saved your life.
