Insurance Institute for Highway Safety facts for kids
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a group that works to make roads safer. It is a non-profit organization. This means it does not aim to make money. Many insurance companies, over 75 of them, give money to support the IIHS.
The IIHS started in 1959. Its main office is in Arlington, Virginia. Their big goal is to lower the number of deaths and injuries from car crashes. They also want to reduce damage to cars on US roads.
The IIHS studies and rates many popular cars. They also check other products like child safety seats. They even look at how roads are designed. They also study traffic rules to make them better. The IIHS does not try to change laws directly. Instead, they teach lawmakers about road safety.
Contents
How the IIHS Started
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was created by insurance companies in 1959. At first, it gave advice to other groups about making highways safer.
In 1966, a new law was passed. It set up a group called the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This group is often called NHTSA. In 1968, a person named William Haddon, Jr., joined the IIHS. He helped set up their car crash testing program. In the 1970s, the IIHS was involved in talks about airbags. Airbags were a new and sometimes debated idea back then.
Car Crash Ratings Explained
In the US, two main groups crash-test cars. They then give them safety ratings. One is the IIHS. The other is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA is a government group. Both groups test new cars and give ratings. But their tests and rating systems are different.
NHTSA's Car Safety Tests
The NHTSA uses three main tests:
- Frontal Crash Test: A car crashes head-on into a barrier at 35 mph. This test shows how much a driver or passenger might get hurt.
- Side-Impact Test: This test has two parts. A movable barrier hits the side of the car. Different weights are used for each part.
- Rollover Rating: This is not a real crash test. It is a score based on math. It looks at how wide the car is and where its weight is centered. This helps guess how likely a car is to roll over.
NHTSA uses a five-star rating system. One star means the car is not very safe. Five stars means it is very safe.
IIHS's Car Safety Tests
The IIHS uses five main tests:
- Small Overlap Frontal Test: Only 25% of the front of the car hits a barrier. This happens at 40 mph. This test checks how the car protects people in a crash where only a small part of the front is hit.
- Moderate Overlap Frontal Test: More of the front of the car hits the barrier in this test.
- Side-Impact Test: A movable barrier hits the side of the car at 31 mph.
- Roof Strength Test: A flat piece of metal pushes down on the car's roof. This shows how much force the roof can handle before it breaks. It helps see how well the roof protects people if the car rolls over.
- Seat and Head Restraint Test: This test checks how well the car's seats and head restraints protect people's necks in a rear-end crash.
The IIHS uses different ratings: Poor, Marginal, Acceptable, or Good. "Good" is the best rating.
Top Safety Awards
The IIHS also gives out two special awards every year:
- Top Safety Pick+ (Plus): Cars that get "Good" ratings in all five crash tests win this award. They must also have good Collision avoidance systems. These systems help prevent crashes.
- Top Safety Pick: Cars that get "Good" ratings in all five crash tests win this award. They do not need to have the advanced crash prevention systems.
Cars Not Tested
Not every car model is crash-tested. Both the IIHS and NHTSA test the cars that are sold the most. Cars like Convertibles or other cars made in small numbers are often not tested.
Sometimes, test results come out months after a new car is already for sale. Both groups buy the cars they test from regular car dealerships. The IIHS has recently started to share which models they plan to test soon.
Images for kids
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The IIHS Vehicle Research Center where cars are crash tested.
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The 2007 Ford Edge got a "Good" rating in a frontal crash test. This car is shown at the IIHS office.
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The 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport did not do well in its frontal crash test. This car is also shown at the IIHS office.
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The 2017 Toyota Tacoma did very well in a tough small overlap test.
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A roof-strength test being done on a 2016 Dodge Challenger.
See also
In Spanish: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety para niños
