DOT Announces New Upgrades to the Five Star Safety Rating Program
Consumers will have better, more complete safety information about the
vehicles they want to purchase under a new plan to improve the federal government’s automobile crash
tests and strengthen its five-star vehicle safety rating system. Under the improvements to the five-star safety
rating program, vehicles beginning with model year 2010 will for the first time be given an overall safety
rating that combines results from frontal, side and rollover tests. The upgraded system also will include new
frontal crash tests, and a new side pole test to simulate wrapping a vehicle around a tree. Female crash
dummies will be added to the tests, so women and larger children are represented, and that new testing for
leg injuries will be done. Read more...
