When you invest in the vehicle of your dreams, do you expect it to offer you protection in the unfortunate chance you're involved in an accident?
Of
course
you do.
But it can be hard to determine the safety of a vehicle just based on a test drive and a CARFAX report alone — no matter how thorough they may be.
That's where the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKs come in handy.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts tests on vehicles to determine their individual "crashworthiness," which explains how well a vehicle is able to protect occupants in the unfortunate event of an accident.
Although protection during a crash is a very important consideration when rating the safety of a vehicle, preventative measures are just as important. The IIHS recognizes that and factors preventative performance into its ratings. Preventative measures include front crash prevention, systems that warn drivers, or automatic braking in certain situations in which
frontal
collision is imminent.
Vehicles that test well qualify for the designation of TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+.