IIHS Introduces New SUV Roof Strength Tests
The biggest issue with SUV safety is their publicized ability to turn turtle when involved in a collision. While the government does take steps to determine how safe certain vehicles are, the current standards are negligently low.
However, while federal standards may be poor judges’ an SUV’s safety factor, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is conducting its own tests. Using a steel plate driven into the roof, the institute has assigned the good rating to those vehicles capable of withstanding a force that is four times that of the vehicles weight without crushing inward more than five inches. The acceptable rating comes with a force that’s 3.25 times the vehicle’s weight, while marginal is just 2.5 times.
In the initial testing, only the VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda Element, and Jeep Patriot were awarded good status, while the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox, and Suzuki Grand Vitara met acceptable standards. Surprising, the two lowest scoring of the 12-vehicle small SUV testing program were the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape; two of Canada’s best selling small SUVs.
