Florida drivers considering a large vehicle may wish to note that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named three full-sized vehicles highly crash-worthy. Among the vehicles recommended with the Top Safety Pick Plus designation were the Lincoln Continental, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Toyota Avalon.
However, some other major large vehicles did not make the cut for the safety designation, including the Tesla Model S, the Ford Taurus and the Chevrolet Impala. The ratings are made by the IIHS, a nonprofit arm of the auto insurance industry that performs crash tests on consumer vehicles.
According to the IIHS, the Tesla, Taurus and Impala had difficulties with the small overlap front test. This type of test is meant to simulate the ability of a car to handle a front driver-side corner collision, as when a driver hits a telephone pole. In the case of the Tesla, the safety belt in the car was seen as not strong enough in this type of collision. In the Impala, the head of the crash test dummy was insufficiently protected, while in the Taurus, the left leg was exposed to potential injury. The three vehicles that received top safety ratings featured airbag timing and seat belts that protected the crash test dummy. Large cars can be significantly safer on the road for drivers and passengers than smaller vehicles. Their size and weight provide a greater level of protection for occupants.
Drivers have good reason to make safety a particular concern. When a collision occurs, vehicle occupants could sustain catastrophic injuries. People who have been harmed in such an accident that was caused by the negligence of another motorist might want to have legal help when seeking appropriate compensation for their losses.
