Category Archives: Highway Safety

Report: Chevy Sonic crushes NHTSA crash tests, earns 5 stars

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Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Chevrolet , GM Following on the heels of its Camaro stablemate, the smallest Chevrolet model has performed well on the National Highway Safety Administration’s crash tests, earning a coveted five-star overall safety rating. Two months ago, the Camaro received the first perfect score awarded under NHTSA’s revised testing regimen , while both the Sonic five-door and sedan scored five stars in each category except rollover, in which it earned four stars. Performing well in a crash could also help those whose Sonics were recently recalled for missing brake pads . In all seriousness, we’re always happy to see new models earn high scores in crash testing, because it means that they are safer.

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Report: Chevy Sonic crushes NHTSA crash tests, earns 5 stars

Study: You’re more likely to be poisoned to death than die in a car crash

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Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety Car crashes kill thousands of Americans every year. In fact, in 2010 alone 32,885 vehicle occupants died as a result of an accident. In the past, auto accidents held the top spot in injury deaths here in the U.S., but that statistic has changed. The New York Times reports that a study by the National Center for Health Statistics reveals that over 41,000 Americans lost their lives due to poisoning

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Study: You’re more likely to be poisoned to death than die in a car crash

Report: IIHS contends cell phone bans not effective for curbing accidents

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Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Technology It just makes sense. Cell phone usage causes accidents, so state governments and the National Transportation Safety Board should ban phone usage while driving, right? Not so, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. CNN Money reports that studies by IIHS show that phones may not be the issue

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Report: IIHS contends cell phone bans not effective for curbing accidents

Official: IIHS reports record year for Top Safety Picks, 18 new 2012 models added

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Filed under: Safety The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today that 2012 model year vehicles set a record for the number of highly valued Top Safety Pick awards earned: 115 total winners with 18 of those being brand new recipients. The break down includes 69 cars, 38 SUVs, five minivans and three pickups, so if owning a Top Safety Pick award-winning vehicle is important to you, there are options available in every category. As for which automakers earned the most awards, Toyota and its band of merry brands, which includes Lexus and Scion , racked up 15, while GM was next with 14, VW / Audi with 13, and Ford / Lincoln and Honda / Acura both with 12 awards each. Speaking of Honda and Acura, they win the award for most improved, as 10 of the 18 new models to receive the award come from their lineups

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Official: IIHS reports record year for Top Safety Picks, 18 new 2012 models added

Report: Chevy Volt battery fix may cost $1,000 per car, will hang on to top IIHS rating

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Filed under: Hybrid , Sedan , Government/Legal , Safety , Chevrolet , GM , Electric Spontaneous combustion concerns weeks after a crash may prompt General Motors to spend about $1,000 per Chevrolet Volt to fix, according to a report from Reuters . The proposed fixes , which would cost a total of $9 million, would likely include reinforcements around vulnerable areas of the car’s battery pack, lamination of electric circuitry and better protection for the coolant system to stop leaks. After a severe crash that causes damage to the Volt’s battery pack, coolant can leak out, and if the battery is not discharged, a fire may start. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered the fire danger this past summer when one of its crashed Volts caught fire three weeks after testing.

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Report: Chevy Volt battery fix may cost $1,000 per car, will hang on to top IIHS rating

Video: 1962 Cadillac vs. 2002 Cadillac in head-on collision

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Filed under: Etc. , Videos , Cadillac Two years ago, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety celebrated its fiftieth anniversary by taping the offset frontal crash of a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air into a 2009 Chevy Malibu . The Bel Air did not handle it well.

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Video: 1962 Cadillac vs. 2002 Cadillac in head-on collision