Atlantic Toyota and Huntington Toyota customers who have purchased a Toyota, Scion or Lexus are excited to know that eight models have been included on the list of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick” Awards.
The eight winners are the Toyota Avalon, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Venza, Lexus RX, Scion tC and the Scion xB. The Sienna was the only minivan to make the list this year.
According to a response in a press release from Toyota Media, “[We are] pleased to have received eight IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2011, which we believe is reflective of our ongoing commitment to developing safe and reliable vehicles for our customers.”
The IIHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization that completely dedicates its research and data collection to reducing the amount of deaths, injuries and property damage that are involved in crashes across the country. Along with the IIHS is the Highway Loss Data Institute. This organization collects data on insurance claims of loss and/or damage and then reports this information to help and support the IIHS.
There are six different tests and ratings that are evaluated to give the final score to a vehicle: frontal offset crash test, side crash test, rollover rating (roof strength test), rear crash protection/head restraint rating, available electronic stability control and bumper evaluation.
According to the IIHS, the three factors evaluated in the frontal offset crash test include structural performance, injury measures and restraints/dummy kinematics, while the three factors for the side impact test are driver and passenger injury measures, head protection and structural performance. The roof strength test occurs with a metal plate that is pushed against one side of a roof at a constant speed. A good rating means the roof can withstand a force of four times the vehicle's weight before reaching five inches of crush.
The rear crash and head restraint rating is measured with the angle of the torso at about 25 degrees and each is classified according to its height and backset into one of four geometric zones. Finally, bumper evaluations include four tests, front and rear full-width impacts at six mph and front and rear corner impacts at three mph to produce what would happen in low-speed collisions.
For more information about the Atlantic Toyota and Huntington Toyota vehicles that meet these standards, visit http://www.atlantic-toyota-huntington.com or call 888-287-0226.