IIHS Safety Test Reveals Accord's Safety Superiority
August 16, 2023 | Torrington, CT
In a recent rear passenger safety study, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) put seven models through rigorous crash testing to determine rear passenger injury results and the Honda Accord was the only vehicle to achieve a GOOD rating. Additionally, the Accord was the sole recipient of a rare GOOD rating in the recently updated Moderate Overlap Front Test. Accord went up against Subaru Outback, which earned an acceptable rating, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry, which were rated marginal, and Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Volkswagen Jetta, earning poor ratings. Earlier this year, Accord was also named an IIHS 2023 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award winner, one of seven Honda models to achieve TSP or better.
From the IIHS press release:
(https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/honda-accord-shines-while-other-midsize-cars-struggle-in-rear-seat-safety-test)
"IIHS launched the updated moderate overlap front test last year after research showed that in newer vehicles the risk of a fatal injury is now higher for belted occupants in the rear than for those in front. This is not because the rear seat has become less safe. Rather, the front seat has become safer because of improved airbags and advanced seat belts that are rarely available in back. Even with these developments, the back seat remains the safest place for young children, who can be injured by an inflating front airbag.To encourage manufacturers to improve rear-seat protection, the updated test adds a dummy in the back seat behind the driver. The driver dummy is the size of an average adult man. The rear dummy is the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child. IIHS researchers also developed new metrics that focus on the injuries most frequently seen in backseat passengers.
For a vehicle to earn a good rating, there can't be an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh, as recorded by the second-row dummy. The dummy should remain correctly positioned during the crash without submarining. The head should also remain a safe distance from the front seatback and the rest of the vehicle interior, and the shoulder belt should remain on the shoulder, where it is most effective. A pressure sensor on the rear dummy's torso is used to check the shoulder belt position during the crash.
As in the original test, the structure of the occupant compartment must maintain adequate survival space for the driver, and measurements taken from the driver dummy shouldn't show an excessive risk of injuries.
The Accord provided stellar protection in the back seat. Measurements taken from the rear dummy showed no heightened risk of injuries, and the rear restraints did a good job controlling the dummy's motion."
Sullivan Honda is proud to partner with Honda in its commitment to safety and the vision for a collision-free society with the "Safety for Everyone" approach. With several models earning Top Safety Pick+ honors, Honda vehicles are among the safest automobiles on the market and make an excellent choice for anyone, from a newly-licensed driver, to parents of young children, to mature adults in the Torrington CT area. Browse our selection of new and pre-owned Honda vehicles below to see our stock of Accord, Civic, CR-V, HR-V, Odyssey, Pilot models and more!
