Klein & Carney Co., LLC
Klein & Carney Co., LLC

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Many midsize vehicles don’t pass the grade in side crash tests

On Behalf of | Aug 8, 2022 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

Ohio is a place that many families love calling home and it’s not uncommon for these families to own an SUV or other type of spacious vehicle. However, you might want to steer clear of the midsize vehicle category, as a recent test found that many midsize vehicles didn’t perform well in side crash tests.

The background behind these new findings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts lots of vehicle safety tests. Recently, it gathered up a group of seven midsize vehicles to see how they perform in side crash tests. This institute’s crash test results showed that only the Subaru Outback earned a good rating.

Two midsize vehicles, the Volkswagen Jetta and the Hyundai Sonata received acceptable scores. The Honda Accord received a marginal overall rating. The Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu and Toyota Camry all earned poor overall ratings. Of the seven midsize vehicles tested, the Nissan Altima received poor ratings for its overall structure as well as for injuries to the torso and pelvis.

What led to such poor ratings?

Understandably, the IIHS wanted to dig deeper to learn what led these cars to perform so poorly in motor vehicle accidents. One potential factor was the low ride height of these automobiles. This design raises many midsize vehicles’ striking barriers. If these midsize cars are hit from the side by a higher-riding vehicle, the former can suffer a lot of damage.

Many popular midsize vehicles didn’t perform well in recent side crash tests by the IIHS. It’s worth noting that the IIHS recently updated its side crash tests to more accurately simulate real-world crashes. Instead of using a 3,300-pound object moving at 31 miles per hour, the IIHS now uses a 4,200-pound object that travels at 37 MPH.