23 May How to Find Car Crash Safety Ratings

When you are considering the purchase of a spiffy new car, you’ll want to check its safety rating before signing on the dotted line. After all, you owe it to yourself and the ones you love to keep everyone safe when you’re on the road. Not only do car crash safety ratings provide peace of mind, they also help determine the amount of auto insurance that you’ll need to be properly covered in the event of an accident.

You owe it to yourself to know just how safe your favorite vehicle is before you finalize the deal. Here are three ways that you can find out how the cars on your short list rank in rollovers and collisions as well as in occupant injury.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains a website that makes it easy to check and compare ratings for vehicles manufactured since 2011. In addition to checking star ratings for rollovers, front and side collisions, at a glance buyers can also determine how drivers and passengers are likely to fare in these types of accidents. Because the NHTSA has recently increased test requirements and made it tougher for vehicles to attain a coveted 5-Star rating, vehicles manufactured after 2011 can not be compared here to those built between 1990 and 2010.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a separate organization that is dedicated to reducing the losses suffered from automobile crashes in America. Buyers can review crash-worthiness ratings here on many new and older model vehicles and see how well each of their preferred cars protects its occupants in a collision.

Finally, your independent insurance agent has a wealth of information available regarding vehicle safety ratings and what it will cost to insure each. If you don’t speak to your agent before your purchase, the next step you’ll want to make once your dream car is yours is to confirm with one of these professionals that you are adequately covered. When you make an informed buying decision and insure your vehicle properly, you can rest assured that you are well prepared for whatever the road ahead may bring your way.

*