Personal Injury Law

Ford Focus and Volvo C30 excel in Crash Tests

By Hurley, McKenna & Murtz

The New York Times (Jensen, 7/21) discusses crash tests performed on two-door versions of popular sedan vehicles. The 2009 two-door models of the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cobalt, Honda Civic, Scion tC, and Volvo C30 were recently tested.

The crash tests were just released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which usually focuses its testing on four door models generally used by families, but ?the organization said the results of these tests could not automatically be applied to two-door versions of the same car because of design and structural differences.? The cars underwent a series of crash tests including frontal, side, and rear impact crash tests. None of the vehicles tested got a poor rating on any of the three tests, and the Volvo C30 and the Ford Focus qualified as ?Top Safety Picks,? meaning these vehicles earned at least a rating of good in all three tests and have an electronic stability control option.

All five cars were rated acceptable or better in the side-crash test, which simulates a crash with a larger S.U.V. ? a concern of many driving small cars. Overall, the small cars fared well on safety ratings, and those given ?acceptable? ratings on certain crash tests were given a lesser rating only because of the possibility of relatively minor injury.

As a personal injury lawyer, I am pleased to see that the recent safety checks on cars were thorough. Given that all the cars tested fared well on the crash test, I am encouraged that the automobile industry appears to be making safety a top priority.

Full post as published by Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog on July 24, 2009 (boomark / email).