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Minivans Disappoint In Latest Round of IIHS Crash Tests

Every now and then, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts together a group of cars from the same segment to see if their crashworthiness is good enough. A passenger vehicle's safety is an utmost important matter in this day and age, which makes this crash test footage pretty dramatic.
Minivan crash test 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Don’t worry, those are dummies, not real people. But the unanimated human-like puppets and the abuse they’ve taken from the IIHS offers us with a rather worrisome bit of news: popular minivans sold in the United States of America are not that safe in the most common accident scenarios. It’s very probable you won’t like what you'll be hearing next.

In the small overlap front crash test, the IIHS has demonstrated that the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and the Nissan Quest are not so safe in a crash. The IIHS awarded them ‘poor’ for lower leg & foot, as well as hip & thigh protection. The same rating was awarded for the high levels of structural intrusion, translating to an overall ‘poor’ for all three family haulers.

"Minivans are popular among parents, a group that tends to be safety conscious, but we've only seen two so far that offer decent protection in small overlap crashes," explains David Zuby, IIHS executive vice president and chief research officer. We’ve learned that those three aren’t safe at all, but is there any minivan that won’t get all beaten up to a pulp in a small overlap accident?

The Institute highlights two minivans that are a lot better in terms of safety than the Chrysler models and the Nissan Quest. Though it earned an overall ‘average’ for the small overlap test, the Toyota Sienna has been awarded Top Safety Pick+ for its optional front crash prevention system. If that’s not enough, check the vid below to find out why the Honda Odyssey got an overall ‘good’ and the TSP+ rating.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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