When shopping for a new car, many people are looking towards fuel-efficient cars to help save money on gas, their insurance and help save the environment. The question looms, by purchasing a fuel-efficient car, normally a smaller model vehicle, are you putting yourself at risk in the event of an accident and will you cost yourself more money on insurance?
Overall, small, lightweight cars - the type that get the best gas mileage, are generally less safe that large, heavy ones. The most important aspects to a car's safety and its ability to keep you safe in the event of an accident are its safety equipment, weight and resistance to rollover. While small cars pass the roll over test easily - they are low to the ground and thus unlikely to roll, they lack weight and are less likely to have advanced safety features like stability control or full side curtain airbags.
How to find the safety rating of your small car
When researching the safety of your small car the first place you should look is the government agency responsible for conducting crash and safety tests on cars; The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. The NHTSA uses a 5-star ranking program that rates the safety of cars from 1-star (not safe) to 5-stars (super safe) by doing a variety of tests on cars that show them what happens to the car when it is in an accident. Crash tests impact your insurance rate because it tells your insurance company how often you might be in an accident and what it will cost them when it happens.
There are three main tests the NHTSA conducts; front-end collision, rollover resistance, and a side crash with a moving target. A star rating is applied to the car based upon how it performs in each of these crash tests. Using this rating you can determine how safe your car will be in the event of a common crash.
Next, check out Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS, collects data on various car collisions in the United States and reports back to Insurance companies about the potential risks of different types of vehicles. This institute also conducts their own safety tests, but unlike the NHTSA, these tests determine how a car will hold up in an accident with another vehicle (NHTSA's tests are done with a large blunt surface, usually a wall). All of the information gathered by the IIHS can help drivers determine whether a smaller car is statistically safer on the road filled with SUV sized cars.
Finally, check with the manufacturer of any small car you are interested in. Safety isn't always determined by how well a car performs in a crash test; it can also be determined by what equipment is provided by automotive companies to make the driving experience safer. Car manufacturers have been inventing and adding new safety equipment to both small and large cars. These type of safety features can be used as a major determining factor for car safety because it reduces the likelihood of a car being involved in an accident while on the road and this will save you money!
No matter what size your car is all experts agree that how you drive is the most important safety factor and the thing that will make the biggest difference when insurance companies set your rates. On Texas highways, crowded with big trucks and SUV's, a small car can seem like a dangerous alternative and indeed sometimes it is. If you are in the market for a new car and are looking to save money and considering a small fuel-efficient car, do all the research and find the safest models and add safety features as you can.
Overall, small, lightweight cars - the type that get the best gas mileage, are generally less safe that large, heavy ones. The most important aspects to a car's safety and its ability to keep you safe in the event of an accident are its safety equipment, weight and resistance to rollover. While small cars pass the roll over test easily - they are low to the ground and thus unlikely to roll, they lack weight and are less likely to have advanced safety features like stability control or full side curtain airbags.
How to find the safety rating of your small car
When researching the safety of your small car the first place you should look is the government agency responsible for conducting crash and safety tests on cars; The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. The NHTSA uses a 5-star ranking program that rates the safety of cars from 1-star (not safe) to 5-stars (super safe) by doing a variety of tests on cars that show them what happens to the car when it is in an accident. Crash tests impact your insurance rate because it tells your insurance company how often you might be in an accident and what it will cost them when it happens.
There are three main tests the NHTSA conducts; front-end collision, rollover resistance, and a side crash with a moving target. A star rating is applied to the car based upon how it performs in each of these crash tests. Using this rating you can determine how safe your car will be in the event of a common crash.
Next, check out Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS, collects data on various car collisions in the United States and reports back to Insurance companies about the potential risks of different types of vehicles. This institute also conducts their own safety tests, but unlike the NHTSA, these tests determine how a car will hold up in an accident with another vehicle (NHTSA's tests are done with a large blunt surface, usually a wall). All of the information gathered by the IIHS can help drivers determine whether a smaller car is statistically safer on the road filled with SUV sized cars.
Finally, check with the manufacturer of any small car you are interested in. Safety isn't always determined by how well a car performs in a crash test; it can also be determined by what equipment is provided by automotive companies to make the driving experience safer. Car manufacturers have been inventing and adding new safety equipment to both small and large cars. These type of safety features can be used as a major determining factor for car safety because it reduces the likelihood of a car being involved in an accident while on the road and this will save you money!
No matter what size your car is all experts agree that how you drive is the most important safety factor and the thing that will make the biggest difference when insurance companies set your rates. On Texas highways, crowded with big trucks and SUV's, a small car can seem like a dangerous alternative and indeed sometimes it is. If you are in the market for a new car and are looking to save money and considering a small fuel-efficient car, do all the research and find the safest models and add safety features as you can.
About the Author:
Learn more about Texas insurance and Fort Worth auto insurance. Stop by thanksal.com where you can find out all about auto insurance and how you can save the most money possible.
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