It’s a five-star day for the 2011 Honda Odyssey, as the vehicle just earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) best-possible Overall Vehicle Score. And under NHTSA’s new system of safety ratings, the Odyssey is one of the first vehicles ever to earn five stars in each seating position for all three crash tests, each crash test category and the overall rating.

This is more great news for the Odyssey – it recently took home a top score of “Good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But since it has yet to be tested for hood strength, it hasn’t earned a Top Safety Pick title.

Along with the 2011 Accord Sedan, the Odyssey is one of few vehicles to date that has earned the NHTSA’s best-possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score. It earned five-star ratings for the frontal crash safety test and both side crash safety tests in all evaluated front and rear seating positions and scenarios. Not one to rest on it laurels, the Odyssey went the extra mile to be awarded four stars for the rollover rating (this is the highest rating possible in the light-truck vehicle class using the NHTSA’s rating system).

The Overall Vehicle Score is a new addition to NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) that is first being applied for the first time to 2011 models. The Overall Vehicle Score is the combined results of the overall ratings from the frontal crash tests, the side crash tests and the rollover-resistance into a single score between one and five stars.

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Honda Odyssey Review Here

It’s a banner year for safety, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) doled out its Top Safety Pick award for 2011 to 66 vehicles – double that of last year.

The list of recipients, which includes 40 cars, 25 SUVs, and a minivan, were picked based on their ability to protecting people in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Vehicles must have electronic stability control, a crash avoidance feature that significantly reduces crash risk to earn this honor. The IIHS ratings help consumers pick vehicles that offer a higher level of protection than federal safety standards require.

And making it onto this year’s list was quite the feat, as the IIHS toughened its criteria for Top Safety Pick. This time around, vehicles had to earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash. At first, this new criteria cut the list of potential 2010 winners, with only 27 vehicles qualifying for the award. But the number grew to 58 as auto manufacturers reworked existing designs and introduced new models. Now another 10 vehicles join the winners’ list for 2011.

The front runners of this year’s awards go to Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi who each have 9 winners for 2011. Following with 8 awards apiece are General Motors, Ford/Lincoln, and Toyota/Lexus/Scion. Subaru is the only manufacturer with a winner in all the vehicle classes in which it competes, earning 5 awards for 2011.

Take a look at the list of winners after the jump and we’d like to offer our congrats to all the vehicles that made it to the top.

[Source: IIHS]

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released their list of booster seats they do and do not recommend. On the recommended side, there’s been a significant growth this past year, with 21 Best Bets and seven Good Bets. Out of 72 booster seats the safety organization tested, eight booster seats didn’t get recommended.

For a booster seat to earn a Best Bet or Good Bet nod, it must properly position a three-point seat belt over a 6-year-old testing dummy. While performing these tests, IIHS experts measure seat-belt fit in a variety of vehicles. They also use high-back and backless booster seats as well as combination child-safety seats. The ratings do not take into account any type of crash tests.

According to the IIHS, children ages 4-8 who are placed in booster seats are 45 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children using only seat belts.

Read the lists of IIHS’ Best Bets, Good Bets and seats not recommended after the jump.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

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The most recent vehicle to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award is the 2011 Buick Regal. This means that the Regal joins other winners including LaCrosse, Audi A4, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Genesis that also many the Top Safety Picks for 2010.

All Top Safety Picks must have good ratings in the front, side, rear, and roof strength tests, and electronic stability control must be available.

“The Buick Regal is not only catching the attention of consumers with its design and responsive driving performance but also by being a leader in its class for safety,” said John Schwegman, vice president of Buick Marketing.  “The IIHS Top Safety Pick Award acknowledges our commitment to offering our customers great safety systems that enhance their driving experience.”

One of the most important conditions to getting this award is the roof strength test. The Regal withstood a force equivalent to about five times its weight; the federal standard is one-and-a-half times the vehicle’s weight.

Great news for Ford – the 2011 Fiesta earned a 2010 Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This marks the first time a mini-car has picked up an award since the introduction of a new roof strength test.

And if that was reason enough to celebrate, this nod also makes it the eighth Ford vehicle to earn the Institute’s top designation, which means it has the most “Top Safety Picks” of any automaker.

Helping it pick up a win is the fact that Fiesta is made from high-strength steels, and it features the company’s Trinity front crash structure, Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE) Architecture and advanced airbag technologies. Outfitted with an energy-absorbing body structure, the Fiesta’s strength and stiffness helps to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger compartment. It also comes with the most standard airbags in its class, as well as standard electronic stability control.

“Fiesta is proof that a small car can deliver big safety, and earning a Top Safety Pick further demonstrates Ford’s commitment to providing all of our customers with world-class crash protection,” said Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Fiesta combines rigidity and more airbags – smartly deployed – than its competition, as well as standard stability control.”

One of the unique safety features the Fiesta offers is a driver’s knee airbag. This airbag helps reduce lower leg injuries during a frontal collision and to work with other safety features. Other Fiesta safety features include dual-stage first-row airbags, side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags.

It’s good to be good – especially when you’re singled out for it. And that’s what the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just did with the 2011 Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M37/M56, which earned Top Pick Safety Awards in the large luxury class and earned the top rating of good in recent roof strength tests.

A roof strength tests assess how well vehicles would protect people in rollover crashes. The CTS and M37/M56 passed this test and also received good ratings in all four of the IIHS’s safety evaluations, and include electronic stability control, a feature that helps drivers avoid crashes altogether.

“The test results show that manufacturers are moving quickly to improve the rollover safety of their newest designs,” says Institute president Adrian Lund.

Eariler winners in the large luxury class include the BMW 5 series, Hyundai Genesis, Lincoln MKS, Mercedes E class, and Volvo S80.

Using a roof strength test, the Institute is able to evaluate rollover protection. In this particular test, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This test is able to give a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Vehicles that are rated good have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Infiniti M56x Review by Clicking Here

Read AutoGuide’s 2010 Cadillac CTS Review by Clicking Here

Luxury can also be safe. The latest vehicle to win an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award is the Cadillac SRX, a midsize luxury SUV. It earned the IIHS’s top safety designation after getting a good rating for rollover protection. The Cadillac SRX had previously earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection.

To earn a Top Safety Pick award, vehicles must earn the highest ratings in all four IIHS safety evaluations, as well as have electronic stability control (this comes standard on the SRX).

In order to evaluate rollover protection, the IIHS uses research of real-world crashes to conduct its roof strength test. To test for roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5-inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This test gives a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight.

The 2010 SRX withstood a force equal to 4.14 times weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

For the 2010 model year, General Motors strengthened the roof structure. The Top Safety Pick award applies to models built after May 2010.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

You can bet that BMW is celebrating this win. The redesigned 2011 BMW 5 series just earned good ratings in all four safety evaluations, garnering it an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick status among large cars.

Adding to the accolades is the fact that this first 5 series ever to earn the Top Safety Pick award, not to mention that its also the first BMW to accomplish this feat since the Institute implemented a new rollover test requirement.

Vehicles that earn Top Safety Picks earn the highest ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control (standard on the BMW) 5 series.

The biggest improvement was made with the good rating for side impact protection – the previous generation 5 was rated only marginal in the same test. An IIHS side impact test represents a hit from an SUV or pickup.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 BMW 5 Series First Drive by Clicking Here

Forget all the jokes you’re heard about senior drivers. A new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that fatal crash rates have dropped significantly with elderly drivers.

This report found that fatal car crashes for elderly drivers over 70 years old from 1997 to 2008 dropped dramatically by 37 percent. Even drivers who were over 80 years old were staying safe – the crash rates this group fell by almost half. For the rest of you young whipper snappers aged 35 to 54, you didn’t fare quite as well – the rates for this age group only dropped by 23 percent.

Even when it came to crashes that involved injuries, seniors over 80 years old came out ahead, declining 34 percent from 1997 to 2005 – that’s pretty good, especially when compared to a 16-percent decline for the 35 to 54 age group (those kids are always in a hurry to get somewhere). Senior drivers also saw a drop in crashes that involved property damage with no injuries, which were down 20 percent.

As for the results of this survey, the drops in car accident rates could stem from seniors who are policing their own driving behaviours – this could mean less driving or giving up their car altogether. Also helping keep elderly drivers safe are the polices put into place by 18 states, which include vision tests for older drivers, shorter licensing renewal periods, and prohibiting renewal by mail or electronically. And don’t forget that better health and physical conditioning may result in fewer crashes and help seniors fare better in accidents.

So any previous worries of having a large, aging population on the road seem to be less serious than once thought. However, no studies have been commissioned on the concern about the number of indicator signals that threaten to left on for miles and miles by this growing demographic – we’ll just have to continue to be annoyed until the issue is tackled.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

The latest vehicles to earn membership into the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) 2010 Top Safety Pick Award club are Volkswagen, Audi and Hyundai.

Earning the highest rating possible from the non-profit research organization are the 2010 Audi A4 and Q5, Hyundai Tucson, Lincoln MKT, and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen. Also making the list are the 2010 Ford Flex and Fusion.

Vehicles that are recognized with this award perform best when it comes to protecting passengers in the IIHS’s front, side, and rear crash test evaluations, as well as roof-strength test evaluations. These vehicles must also come standard with electronic stability control.

Says Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen Group of America, about their win: “From the initial vehicle designs in Germany, all the way to the production plants, Volkswagen upholds safety to the highest level of importance. To have such a distinguished group as the IIHS recognize the 2010 Jetta SportWagen with the Top Safety Pick award is a realization of the care, safety, and precision we strive for with every Volkswagen we build.”

In order to earn membership into this exclusive club, vehicles must earn “Good” (the IIHS’s highest rating in testing) for roof strength in rollover crashes. To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

[Source: IIHS, Volkswagen]

Sometimes, okay just doesn’t cut it. Like when it comes to how well the roof of your midsize SUV holds up in a rollover. New results from the first roof strength tests on midsize SUVs conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show that automakers still need to make improvements to these types of vehicles.

Out of 12 midsize SUVs tested, six earned the top rating of good for rollover protection, one came in at acceptable, and the last five earned the second lowest rating of marginal. Making the good grade are the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox (twin GMC Terrain) built after March 2010, Jeep Liberty (twin Dodge Nitro), Toyota Highlander and Venza, as well as the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Kia Sorento. Coming in at an acceptable rating was the 2010 Ford Edge. The midsized SUVs that didn’t fair so well by earning marginal ratings were the Honda Accord Crosstour, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-7, Mitsubishi Endeavor, and Nissan Murano, all 2010 models.

“Midsize SUVs are a big group so we’re testing them in stages,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “First results show that automakers are making progress in rollover protection, but it’s disappointing that a new design like the Crosstour didn’t perform better.”

Institute research shows occupants in vehicles that roll benefit from stronger roofs, and the IIHS has, in turn, based their rollover rating system on this information. In order for a vehicle to be rated as good, their roof must be more than twice as strong as the minimum required under the current federal safety standard. A rollover is one of the most serious crashes to be involved in, and this test is designed to help drivers pick a vehicle that will best protect them.

Stats show that nearly 10,000 people a year are killed in rollover crashes. These types of crashes are so deadly because as vehicles roll, their roofs hit the ground, deform, and crush. Since stronger roofs crush less, they minimize injury risk from contact with the roof itself.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

The results are in and a host of new SUVs have made the cut. Joining the list for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick Award recipients are the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the 2011 Kia Sorento, and the 2010 Toyota Highlander and Venza.

It takes a sturdy vehicle to become an IIHS Top Safety Pick. To drive off with one, a vehicle must earn Good ratings in front- and side-impact tests, as well as head restraint design for rear crash protection, and roof strength. As well, it has to come standard with electronic stability control. Vehicles are rated on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.

Roof-strength is the most difficult test to pass, and the SUVs tested at this time demonstrated a roof strength-to-weight ratio of 4-to-1 or greater (meaning roofs held up under more than four times the vehicle’s weight before the top is compressed five inches). Some examples of outcomes for this test: the Toyota Highlander roof withstood a force equal to 4.74 times its vehicle weight, while the Toyota Venza’s roof withstood 4.70 times its vehicle weight.

Some SUVs that didn’t make the cut were the Ford Edge, Honda Accord Crosstour, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-7, Mitsubishi Endeavor, and Nissan Murano. The Edge earned an Acceptable roof-strength rating, while rest were rated Marginal.

The IIHS is an independent non-profit research and communications organization funded by auto insurance companies.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

They are great to putter around the neighborhood in, or zip to the store to pick up a few groceries. But low-speed vehicles (LSV) and mini-trucks are no match for regular traffic when it comes to an accident.

Recent crash tests preformed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) illustrate what happens when the two types of vehicle collide – and the results aren’t pretty. Although many states allow LSVs (also known as neighborhood electric vehicles) to share the road with regular traffic because they reduce emissions and cut fuel use, they don’t have to meet the basic safety standards that cars and pickups do.

“By allowing LSVs and minitrucks on more and more kinds of roads, states are carving out exceptions to 40 years of auto safety regulations that save lives,” says David Zuby, the IIHS’s chief research officer. “It’s a troubling trend that flies in the face of the work insurers, automakers, and the federal government have done to reduce crash risk.”

You can find LSVs pretty much everywhere in the U.S., on any road with a speed limit of 35 mph or lower. Their rapid surge in popularity is evident, with drivers and policy makers alike. In eight years, the number of states that allow LSVs on the road as risen from just over a dozen states to 46. Primarily intended for recreational purposes within retirement or other planned communities with golf courses, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set the standard for LSVs in 1998. It’s important to note that mini-trucks weren’t even on the radar when these standards were introduced

Both types of vehicles are now allowed to share the same roads as other cars, trucks and SUVs, so it’s no surprise that no good will come when the two types collide with regular traffic. If you’re planning on purchasing an LSV or mini-truck, Zuby recommends spending more on a standard pickup to get crash protection and a vehicle that’s suitable to drive on all roads. If you’ looking to shrink you environmental footprint, a better choice for regular traffic is a crashworthy hybrid like the Toyota Prius or another fuel-efficient car.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Finally, some good news for Toyota – three new Toyota vehicles have been given Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Getting the award are the 2011 Toyota Avalon and Sienna for achieving the institute’s highest ratings in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests. Also picking up an award is the 2010 Lexus RX – now that the company has improved its stability control program. In order to win this award, vehicles must come with electronic stability control as standard equipment.

The Sienna was redesigned for the 2011 year and is the first minivan to earn the IIHS’s top safety designation since good performance for rollover protection was added to the criteria for 2010. This is great news for the brand, and comes as much welcome news after an onslaught of recalls.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Heading out on a road tip this summer that will take you across state lines? Before you head out, do a little prep work and find out if the state you’re visiting has any safety laws you may not be aware of.

An important and trendy hot topic this summer has to be bans on cell phones. The list for states that have banned texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is growing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has up-to-date information on where it’s ok to call for directions while behind the wheel, and all the states where you’ll get slapped with a hefty fine if you’re caught yakking.

The rise in cell phone bans comes from the rise in car accidents where distracted drivers are cited as the cause. In 2008 almost 6,000 people died and more than half a million people were injured on U.S. roads in crashes that involved distracted drivers. The term distracted driving can be defined as anything that takes the driver’s hands off the wheel or eyes off the road for more than two seconds or interrupts concentration.

While talking on a cell phone is distracting enough, texting is even worse. This is because it involves three things that distract drivers the most: visual (looking away from the road), manual (punching keys on a wireless device), and cognitive (reading or composing a text message).

Another great site to check regarding safety laws is the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Here, you’ll find a state-by-state summary of vehicle safety laws, including child safety seats, speed and red-light cameras, and drunk driving.

There’s no doubt that a nod from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will affect a purchasing decision on your next family vehicle. So if you’re living large and luxurious, you’ll be pleased to hear that two large luxury cars earned the IIHS’s 2010 Top Safety Pick awards.

The Hyundai Genesis and the Mercedes E-Class were picked for this prestigious honor. Only vehicles that earn a top rating of good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control can be considered, and both of these cars made the grade.

Hyundai launched Genesis in the 2009 model year, however, it made changes to the roof structure to improve protection in rollover crashes for its 2010 model (the Top Safety Pick award applies to Genesis models built after January 2010).

Even though the Mercedes E class has been around for decades, this is the first time the model that has driven away with IIHS’s top rating. Redesigned for the 2010 model year, changes were made to the padding in the front and rear doors to improve protection in side impact crashes (the Top Safety Pick award applies to E Class models built after March 2010).

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safey]

See AutoGuide’s reviews of these cars after the jump:

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Parents of teens have enough to worry about. A new bill that creates a national standard for young drivers that’s being lobbied in the U.S. could help ease at least one of their concerns. The result would be one standardized national graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that would replace the varying state-to-state programs in effect now.

Right now, every state except North Dakota has a GDL for teens that includes three phrases. Restrictions for these young drivers under the new GDL include night time driving, limits on the number of teen passengers and a minimum age of 16 for getting a learner’s permit. As it stands now, 42 states allow learner permits before age 16.

Although some teens will make a stink about it, these types of programs are effective, and the numbers prove it. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), states that have imposed tough restrictions on licensing have had crash reductions ranging from 10% to 30%. When Massachusetts put their GDL into effect three years ago, they saw fatalities for drivers younger than 18 fall to 75%, and injury crashes involving these drivers went down to 38%.

Dubbed the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection bill, one of the co-sponsors, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, says, “It’s a very important time of year. Kids are out for proms and graduation parties. A lot of kids start driving in the summer. The basic point is to put more standards in place for those first few years when they’re learning to drive.”

But not everybody agrees that this type of policy is the way to go. “I think doing this would be a horrible idea,” says Alex Koroknay-Palicz, executive director of the Alex Koroknay-Palicz. “Part of the beauty of our federal system is allowing states to be laboratories and having different policies and approaches to difficult problems.”

IIHS estimates that raising the minimum age for a learner’s permit would reduce crash fatalities of 15- to 17-year-olds by roughly 13%.

Do you think a national graduated driver licensing system is a good idea or just a buzz-kill for teens? Leave your comments below.

[Source: MotherProof]

The Kia Forte took home the 2010 Top Safety Pick, given out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  This is the third model from the Kia/Hyundai brand to win the rating for 2010, following the Kia Soul and the Hyundai Sonata.

To be considered for this award, vehicles must earn the top rating of “good” for front, side, rollover, and rear impact protection. This year also marks the first time a vehicle has to achieve a good performance in its roof strength test to measure protection in the case of a rollover. The vehicle’s overall evaluation was determined on a variety of measurements specific to each crash angle, and overall impact on crash test dummies inside the vehicle at the time of collision. As well, to receive a Top Pick, the car needs to have electronic stability control (ESC), a feature that comes standard on the Forte.

In order to qualify for the award, Kia had to make some improvements to the Forte to ensure occupant protection, including revisions to its B-pillar and its roof. If you’re in the market for the Forte, be aware that this rating only applies to Fortes built after October 2009.

Other safety features the Forte showcases (and comes standard with) include active front headrests, advanced two-stage airbags, front seat-mounted and side curtain airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with an antilock brake system (ABS), brake assist (BAS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), a traction control system (TCS) and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

Fellow small cars joining Forte with a 2010 Top Safety Pick status are the VW Golf, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Impreza, Scion xB and Nissan Cube.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

After smashing up a long list of perfectly good cars, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the results along with its list of “Top Safety Pick” vehicles and Toyota isn’t on it. In order to get a “Top Safety Pick” rating, a vehicle must score a “good” rating (the IIHS’s highest rating), in all four crash categories, as well as be available with stability control. Toyota vehicles have been Top Picks for three straight years.

Toyota is the only one of the big six automakers in the U.S. to not have a car on the Top Pick list. Many automakers did, however, have their number of Top Picks reduced, thanks to the new rollover rating. In total the 2010 list is down to 27  vehicles, from 94 last year.

The automaker with the most Top Picks is Ford, but that is due to the fact that it still owns Volvo, which made up four of the six picks. Both Volkswagen and Subaru managed five Top Safety Picks, meaning that every Subaru product is now on the list.

The closest Toyota to making the list was the Camry, losing out only because the IIHS gave it a “marginal” rating for a rear crash due to seats and headrests that don’t provide enough protection against whiplash.

[Source: AutoWeek]

See a full list of the 201o IIHS Top Safety Picks after the jump:

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With a recent barrage of testing performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Subaru was recognized as the only automaker to get a Top Safety Pick rating for every vehicle in its lineup.

What this means it that every Subaru vehicle meets the IIHS’s highest standards, receiving a “good” rating (the highest possible), for front, side, rear and (new for 2010) rollover crashes. On top of this, to receive the Top Safety Pic rating, the car must come with stability control.

“Subaru is the only manufacturer with a Top Safety Pick winner in every vehicle class in which it competes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “The vehicles that earn this designation are the cream of the crop for protecting people in the most common kinds of crashes, and they have electronic stability control for helping drivers stay out of many crashes altogether.”

Subaru of America VP Tom Doll expressed his pleasure in the news stating that,  “This is an outstanding success and a tribute to the engineering that goes into Subaru products. To have this recognition by the IIHS reinforces to our customers that we maintain the highest standards when producing vehicles that are safe, durable, reliable as well as fun-to-drive.”

Subaru’s Top Safety Pick rating is even more impressive than normal, as the IIHS’s new roof safety tests resulted in fewer Top Safety Pick awards being handed out with past winners like the Honda Accord and Ford Fusion droping from the list.

Several months ago we reported that Acura has achieved an historic first by earning a perfect rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for every vehicle in its lineup.

Now Acura has claimed another manufacturer first after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the new Acura TL a perfect 5 star rating. Along with the TL, every other vehicle Acura sells has a perfect 5 star rating from the NHTSA, giving the company the best possible safety score in every vehicle it sells, in both recognized safety

This not only means that the Acura lineup is safe when it comes to withstanding an impact, but the IIHS requires stability control (a life-saving technology) to be on a car in order for it to be award a Top Safety Pick rating.

“No other automotive brand has accomplished what Acura has, nor can make the safety claims that Acura can,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile sales. “When consumers think safety, they really should think Acura.”

Official release after the jump:

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