The Department of Transportation announced a revised crash-test safety grading system on Tuesday, which has resulted in lower scores for a number of cars, trucks, SUVs and passenger vans.
The new scoring system has a stricter injury testing system, and now includes a single overall grade — rather than a series of grades in various sub-categories, such as its rollover rating. The new system also includes tests that simulate a car wrapping itself around a tree. In addition, it will start performing tests with smaller dummies that model the effects of crashes on women, meaning that now both “female” and “male” dummies will be used.
As a result of the strengthened criteria, fewer cars are receiving the five-star rating, which is the top mark a car can earn for crash-test safety. Indeed, of the first 34 vehicles tested from the 2011 model year, the only two cars that received the five-star rating were the BMW 5 Series and a Hyundai Sonata.
The vast majority of the cars tested, including the 14 American models, received a rating of four stars. Many of these, such as the Ford Taurus, saw their grades drop from five stars last year. The only exceptions to the four-star rating were the two five-star scorers, the Nissan Versa, which scored a two, and two Toyota Camry models, which each earned three stars.
The reason behind the new system was that so many car models had achieved five-star status that it masked room for improvement and the differences in safety among top-rated cars.
“More stars equal safer cars,” said Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Through new tests, better crash data, and higher standards, we are making the safety ratings tougher and more meaningful for consumers.”
In response to the changes, the industry group Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers launched a website to explain the new system’s differences to consumers. An Alliance spokesman told The Detroit News that the objective is “is “to help car shoppers understand that some models will see ratings go down from model year 2010 to 2011 — even when there’s been no change to the car or truck.”
