The cars tested from now on will receive ratings in between 1 and 5 stars, with 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars the highest. The NHTSA warns that the regulation will harm some of the vehicles which have received a 5-star rating under the old provisions because under the new, stricter ones, some of them will only be able to receive four stars. A list of vehicles rated under the new system is available at the following link.
The cars tested by the NHTSA from now on will be subjected to tests in three broad areas – frontal crash, side crash, and rollover resistance. What changed, aside for the tougher requirements, is the addition of a so called Overall Vehicle Score for each vehicle tested.
The Overall Vehicle Score combines the results of a frontal crash test, side crash tests and rollover resistance tests and compares those results to the average risk of injury and potential for vehicle rollover of other vehicles. For the year to come, the NHTSA plans to test under the new program 4 passenger cars, 20 sport utility vehicles, two vans and nine pickups.
“We want consumers to embrace these new safety technologies as a way to make vehicles safer,” said NHTSA administrator David Strickland. “We believe electronic stability control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning offer significant safety benefits and consumers should consider them when buying a new car.”
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