April 14, 2009
New crash tests demonstrate the influence of vehicle size and weight on safety in crashes; results are relevant to fuel economy policies
2009 Toyota Camry and 2009 Toyota Yaris frontal offset car-to-car crash test
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1/5/09 Camry pre-crash photo |
1/5/09 Yaris pre-crash photo |
2/10/09 Action photo
The Camry earned an ACCEPTABLE rating in this test; the Yaris earned a POOR rating. |
9/14/06 Photo from the Institute's 40 mph frontal offset offset crash of the Yaris into a deformable barrier: The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well. The Yaris earned a GOOD rating in this test. (Tested vehicle: 2007 Toyota Yaris) |
2/10/09 Photo of the Yaris from the Institute's 40 mph frontal offset crash with the Camry: There was a lot of intrusion into the occupant compartment. The driver's seat tipped forward, and the steering wheel moved excessively. The head injury measure on the dummy rated poor, and there was extensive force on the neck and right leg plus a deep gash at the right knee. |
2009 Honda Accord and 2009 Honda Fit frontal offset car-to-car crash test
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1/5/09 Accord pre-crash photo |
1/5/09 Fit pre-crash photo |
2/13/09 Action photo The Accord earned a GOOD rating in this test; the Fit earned a POOR rating. |
10/2/08 Photo from the Institute's 40 mph offset frontal crash of the Fit into a deformable barrier: The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well. The Fit earned a GOOD rating in this test. |
2/17/09 Photo of the Fit from the Institute's 40 mph frontal offset crash with the Accord: There was a lot of intrusion into the occupant compartment, which compromised the survival space around the driver dummy. Measures recorded on the dummy indicate that the risk of serious injury would be high in a similar real-world collision. |
2009 Mercedes C class and 2009 Smart Fortwo frontal offset car-to-car crash test
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1/21/09 C class pre-crash photo |
2/11/09 Smart Fortwo pre-crash photo |
2/24/09 Action photo The C class earned a GOOD rating in this test; the Smart earned a POOR rating. |
4/3/08 Photo from the Institute's 40 mph frontal offset crash of a Smart into a deformable barrier: The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well. The Smart earned a GOOD rating in this test. (Tested vehicle: 2008 Smart Fortwo) |
2/25/09 Photo of the Smart from the Institute's 40 mph frontal offset crash with the C class: The space around the driver collapsed during the crash. Multiple injuries, including to the head, would be likely for a real-world driver of a Smart in a similar collision. |
