Status Report, Vol. 44: 2009
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Booster ratings help parents pick seats that are most likely to offer the best safety belt fit for their children
What good lap/shoulder belt fit and bad belt fit looks like
How 60 boosters rate individually for lap belt fit and shoulder belt fit
Hybrid electric cars are more likely to crash with pedestrians and bicyclists
Children are safer restrained in boosters than kids who use safety belts alone
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TOP SAFETY PICK winners for 2010 are vehicles on the highest rung for protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes, too
Winners by vehicle class
Crash avoidance features gain traction with Infiniti and Volvo owners
Subaru improves bumpers on 2010 Legacy to earn acceptable rating
Animal crashes continue to rise, and so do costs of fixing the damage
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Phoning while driving
IIHS 50th anniversary celebration, featuring test comparing crashworthiness then and now
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Alcohol detection devices for all drivers garner widespread support
Regulating light truck bumpers gets a look-see from NHTSA
Amber is a better color than red for rear turn signals
Camera enforcement case summaries are available at iihs.org
Better truck brakes are on tap
Crash deaths continue to decline, though deaths of motorcyclists keep bucking the overall trend
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Click It or Ticket still works to raise belt use by combining stepped-up enforcement with a media blitz
Enhanced belt reminders reduce drivers' fatality risk
Alcohol ignition interlocks are required equipment for first-time DUI offenders in additional states
Interlocks would have saved 8,893 lives in 2007 by preventing alcohol-impaired people from driving
Universal belt use, primary laws, and enforcement need to be priorities
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Bumpers on mini and microcars allow pricey damage in new Institute tests. None of the 7 evaluated earns a good rating
What it costs to fix test damage
Roofs that meet a new federal standard likely will be nearly as strong as needed to earn top ratings in Institute tests
Donald L. Schaffer served on the Institute board from 1962-1987
Child seats don't fit the same in all vehicles, so automakers are urged to recommend good ones for their models
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Special Issue: teenage drivers
When parents are watching, their teenage children drive differently than when they're alone or with friends
Variety of gadgets rides shotgun with teenagers
Strong teen driving laws reduce crashes, insurance claims
Insurers take high-tech approach to teen drivers
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Special Issue: car size, weight, and safety
Bigger, heavier cars are safer
Fuel ecomony and safety can be achieved at the same time
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Special Issue: roof strength
Institute launches new roof strength rating
Small cars benefit from stronger roofs, Institute analysis finds
How NHTSA underestimates the rollover death and injury problem
Tougher roof strength rules for cars, SUVs, and pickups are decades overdue
Dynamic test using instrumented dummies would be the gold standard for assessing roof performance in rollovers
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Crashes in the real world don't always mirror tests, so new frontal tests merit exploration
Frontal crash case files illustrate 5 important configurations
Having improved compatibility, automakers disband cooperative effort to address this issue
Frontal airbags reportedly failed to inflate, but Institute researchers found errors in the way crash data sometimes are reported
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Truck safety isn't being served by the federal agency in charge of regulating it
More are dying because of FMCSA's 2003 work-hour rule
Electronic recorders still aren't required equipment in large trucks
Courts back red light camera programs in Illinois, Tennessee, and California
State legislators make decisions about red light camera programs and other highway safety matters
FMCSA needs a push
3 large pickups prove wimpy for occupant protection in side crashes
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