Frequently asked questions

A: The Institute buys the vehicles we crash test directly from dealers. We try to cover as much of the marketplace as we can, choosing vehicles to test that represent a range of manufacturers and the largest portions of new car sales. See our vehicle ratings page for a complete list of all vehicles the Institute has tested. We don't release information in advance about individual vehicles or categories of vehicles we plan to test. Subscribe to our news feed for notification of when new crash test results are posted to our site.

A: Institute engineers work closely with vehicle manufacturers and know when these design changes are made. Of course, engineers and officials at the company also know. However, this information often doesn't filter down to the dealer level. And if you call a car company's corporate office, the people who handle public relations often don't know either. But Institute engineers have verified these changes with company engineers.

The Institute’s crashworthiness ratings, including the Top Safety Pick designation, apply to vehicles that meet crash test and other criteria, including repairs associated with any safety recalls.

A: Vehicles subjected to high-speed crash tests at the Institute's Vehicle Research Center are essentially unrepairable. These cars are sold under contract to vehicle salvage operations. Vehicles subjected to bumper testing are sold as-is to car dealers with an accompanying disclosure statement indicating the type of test and level of damage.

A: The Institute has frontal crash test ratings going back to 1995 models. In 2003 the Institute began adding side crash test ratings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides crash test results for some older models.

A: The size and weight of large SUVs mean that compared with most other passenger vehicles they start with a higher level of protection for occupants in the most common kinds of front, side, and rear impact crashes. They also represent a small segment of the passenger vehicle market. For these reasons and because of limited test time the Institute doesn't plan to routinely subject the largest SUVs to crash tests.

A: We provide links to a variety of crash testing and highway safety sites on our related sites page.

A: No. The Institute is a nonprofit organization, and our crash test facility supports the Institute's research and consumer information programs. However, there are many for-profit test facilities that will conduct crash tests for a fee. Some of these are Calspan, Defiance Testing & Engineering (bumper testing only), Karco, TRC, and MGA.

The Institute’s crashworthiness ratings, including the Top Safety Pick designation, apply to vehicles that meet crash test and other criteria, including repairs associated with any safety recalls.

A: The Institute does not track or investigate vehicle defects. The federal government addresses possible and confirmed defects through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA maintains a toll-free hotline for consumers who have vehicle-related complaints. That number is 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236). NHTSA also maintains an on-line database of complaint files that can be searched by vehicle make and model as well as lots of good information about the vehicle recall process.

A: It takes considerable time to gather and tabulate the real-world data needed to provide statistically significant results for new models. Complete vehicle registration data for each model year typically are released about two years later, and data on fatalities are first available approximately nine months after the end of the calendar year. Similarly, it takes time to amass sufficient insurance claims information to provide meaningful results for a range of vehicles. For vehicles that have not been fundamentally redesigned, previous model year results are good predictors of the current model's experience.

A: There are many career opportunities for bright enterprising students with an interest in cars (or transportation in general) and safety. Jobs in this field range from various technicians with high school plus vocational training or a 2-year college associate technology degree to researchers with a Ph.D., typically in an engineering field. For someone interested in full-scale crash testing per se, there are only a few places in the United States to get involved. Each of the US auto manufacturers has its own facility for crash testing. Some suppliers to the auto industry (Autoliv, TRW, Lear, Delphi, etc.) also have built crash test facilities or crash simulation laboratories to enhance product development. In addition, the US government has crash test labs in both the Department of Transportation (Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and Defense (US Army's Aberdeen, Maryland Proving Grounds or the Navy Biodynamics Laboratory, for examples). Finally there are a few independent laboratories, most of which do testing/research on a contract basis for government or industry customers (Calspan in Buffalo, NY; TRC Inc. in East Liberty, OH; Karco Engineering in Adelanto, CA; MGA in Akron, NY). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Vehicle Research Center would be in the last group, but we don't conduct tests for other organizations.

The short list of jobs in our field consists of technicians and engineers. People with a high school education and some training in electronics, computers, photography, auto mechanics, or fabrication (machine tools and welding) can be employed in various aspects of test setup and preparation such as preparing vehicles for testing; care, calibration, and installation of sensors; building test fixtures; test filming; and care and calibration of test dummies.

People who pursue a college-level education in engineering can get jobs as test engineers or product development engineers. Mechanical engineering is probably the most common degree, but electronics is increasingly important as we try to develop more advanced safety systems (e.g. smart airbags). A person with a specific interest in restraint systems (e.g. safety belts and airbags) would benefit from some classes in biomechanics/biomedical engineering. Many large engineering schools offer courses in these areas.

Another related job is that of accident/crash investigator. Many police departments have crash investigators who examine the aftermath of real crashes to ascertain the causes of and responsibility for the crashes. Crash investigators also are retained by lawyers in product liability and personal injury cases. Many investigators have engineering or physics backgrounds. Universities located in areas with a concentration of auto-related industry usually have engineering departments with relationships to the industry. Some offer courses specifically related to safety engineering. Among the schools to check are the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Ohio State University, George Washington University, University of California, San Diego and University of Virginia.

A: While the Institute is always interested in learning about new ideas and products, we do not approve, endorse, or promote specific proprietary devices or products. Consequently, we cannot be of any assistance to inventors.