Safest Family Cars

Safest Cars for Families Rated by the NHTSA and IIHS

By TERRY GALANOY, AOL AUTOS

Story Highlights

  • Crossover SUVs Still Not Safest Vehicles

  • Sedans in Top Two Categories for Family Safety

  • Multiple American Sedans Win Top Ratings

  • Side Airbags and ESC New Musts For Family Safety



    For years, many drivers around the country have had a conviction that when it comes to vehicle safety, that SUVs were the overriding wheels of choice and further, the bigger the SUV the better.

    "It isn't for me, it's for the kids," one spouse would coyly intimate to the other, "It's for the kids, their safety you know ..." Not to mention (literally) that size also does seem to count when showing off the new high iron to the girls at the country club or the guys at the bowling alley.

    Well, Mom and Dad, sorry to brake a flat spot on your wheels-within-wheels choices, but safety experts insist that SUVs are not safer vehicles at all. Sort of the bigger they are, the harder they fail.

    SUVs IN TRANSITION
    Since the days when all sport utility vehicles were built body-on-frame, SUVs have been considered "trucks." Even though many have gone to "crossover" car uni-bodies, they still don't have to meet all of the federal government's rules for passenger car safety. Their high centers of gravity have led to a grisly, increasing epidemic of fatal rollover crashes, their rear blind spots have resulted in scores of small children being backed over, and their uber-tank gross weights and dimensions cause carnage to both the SUV occupants and even more often, those in smaller, lighter vehicles. For details on the findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, visit their Web sites, nhtsa.dot.gov and iihs.org. Those sites also provide info on the extra costs SUV owners are paying in fuel, insurance, registration, taxes, and more -- that should stick in the craw instead of being stuck in the pocket with another type of vehicle.

    WHAT'S A FAMILY TO DO?
    Despite the odds against emerging unscathed from the teeming traffic and its many risks, we are all parts of a constantly moving, mobile society and must go with the flow to get to work, shopping and school.

    First a family could pick a vehicle as though it is a matter of life or death, which it is. Next, they should consider a vehicle that can transport goods (and bads) with a reasonable amount of room and comfort, provide good reliability, low maintenance and operational costs. In addition, as a bonus, one with a certain amount of bragging (not dragging) rights for style, prestige or, in a fast-growing category, a certain level of non-gasoline "hybrid" functionality.

    IIHS Top Safety Pick: Family Cars

    Model OverviewFrontSideRearMSRPGet a Quote
    Ford Taurus (2008)GoodGoodGood$23245Price Quote
    Mercury Sable (2008)GoodGoodGood$23540Price Quote
    Audi A6GoodGoodGood$41950Price Quote
    Audi A4GoodGoodGood$28240Price Quote
    Saab 9-3GoodGoodGood$26170Price Quote
    Subaru LegacyGoodGoodGood$20495Price Quote
    Although crash tests results can change year-to-year, a detailed study of current IIHS and NHTSA crash reports on new vehicles (not counting minivans, a special category which will be covered in upcoming articles) appears to favor the vehicle that made this nation, or at least its auto industry, great -- the wonder workhorse, the all-weather, all-purpose, all-dependable old grey mare, the four-door sedan.

    YESTERDAY'S FAMILY CARS TODAY
    Today, the one-time plain-Jane sedan has been so resized and glamorized that many are outstripping sports cars and top SUVs as vehicles of status. Although not necessarily tops on the crashworthiness tests (see below,) the top models of Lexus, Infiniti, Audi, Mercedes and others are replacing Corvettes and Porsches in the lots of snobbish restaurants and clubs. Many of these new beauties have been engineered to rival SUVs in practicality with fold-down rear seats, slide-through storage space for long objects like skis and two-by-fours.One model, the Chevrolet Maxx, even comes in "king size" to provide additional carrying space.

    NOT ALL SEDANS SAFER
    Spokespeople at IIHS point out that across vehicle types, larger cars like four-door sedans always have lower death rates than SUVs and larger pickups. However, they add, just because a vehicle falls within a category does not guarantee its safety level.

    In almost every size group of two-door and four-door cars, the fatality rate in the worst car is at least twice as high as the rate in the best one. Further, in mid-size four-door cars, the differences can be much wider. The IIHS found that a German-made four-door was involved in 14 driver deaths per million registered vehicles. By comparison, a Japanese-made sedan in the same group showed an almost tenfold increase to 130 deaths per million, indicating that the lower death rate in the German vehicle was not likely by chance.

    Although some family breadwinners can afford the dough for a pricey luxury car built like a Diebold vault, the majority of the safest family four-doors fit the realities of today's budget-conscious families. Despite major advancements in safety equipment such as curtain airbags and electronic stability control, weight and size still play a huge role in the overall safety potential of a vehicle. Among all classes, the smallest four-door models show the highest driver fatality rate, with mini two-door models a bit better. Mid-size and very large cars have the lowest rate of driver deaths.

    NHTSA 5 Star Rating: Family Cars

    Model OverviewFront DriverFront PassengerSide Front SeatSide Rear SeatMSRPGet a Quote
    Acura RL5555$45780Price Quote
    Ford Crown Victoria5555$24620Price Quote
    Lincoln Town Car5555$42175Price Quote
    Mercury Grand Marquis5555$24910Price Quote
    Ford 5005555$23035Price Quote
    Dodge Caliber5555$13850Price Quote
    Hyundai Sonata5555$17345Price Quote
    Kia Optima5555$16355Price Quote
    Mercury Montego5555$23850Price Quote
    Saturn Aura5555$20345Price Quote
    Subaru Legacy5555$20495Price Quote
    Toyota Avalon5555$26875Price Quote
    Toyota Camry5555$18470Price Quote

    5=Five Stars

    DOUBLING DOWN YOUR BET
    The differences in crashworthiness "grades" of vehicles is due to variances in testing procedures used by the government-sponsored NHTSA and the insurance industry-backed IIHS.

    NHTSA awards from one to five stars for crashworthiness in a simulated 35 mph head-on crash; a 3,000 pound, 38.5 mph side impact test and rollover ratings. A five-star score for a frontal crash indicates injury potential of 10 percent or less while five stars for a side impact result indicates 5 percent risk or less.

    The IIHS frontal crash is different. There, they crash vehicles headlight to headlight rather than nose to nose. This way, according to them, a smaller amount of the car, the driver's side, takes the heaviest impact. They feel this procedure accurately depicts the daily realities of traffic crash effects on vehicles and occupants. For its own side impact test, IIHS uses a moving 3,300 pound barrier, shaped like the front end of an SUV or pickup, to strike the driver side of a passenger vehicle at 31 mph. Their rear tests concentrate on the protection provided occupants from head restraints when a vehicle is struck from the rear. In early outings of this newest procedure, IIHS found that most got failing marks, but those that did earn high marks were vehicles made in Europe.

    In addition to vehicle type, size and weight, IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says buyers should look for safety options that have been found effective, especially "side airbags with head protection and electronic stability control. Stability control is especially important if you're buying an SUV because SUVs have a higher rollover risk, but ESC is effective in cars too."

    NOT ALL CARS CONSIDERED
    Cracking the list of today's safest cars was no easy task -- to be included required all "Good" results in the IIHS tests, or four 5-star ratings in the NHTSA tests. The Subaru Legacy was the only car that made both lists. Many highly regarded and even high-rated cars in previous tests did not make the cut. Some just missed by one mark, others because their current models have yet to be tested.

    Editors Note: Are you asking yourself why more cars aren't on both lists? So were we. This is what representatives from IIHS and NHTSA had to say.

    Russ Rader of IIHS says, "One reason (more cars aren't on both lists) is that the Institute's side impact test is more demanding of cars because it's simulating a striking SUV or pickup truck, while NHTSA's side impact test represents a hit from another car. Cars that earn a good rating in the Institute's side impact test may not earn 5 stars in NHTSA's. Second, NHTSA doesn't take into account rear crash protection (whiplash) where the Institute requires a good rating in the rear test to be on the list of safest cars."

    The NHTSA said through a spokesman: "They (IIHS) have specific reasons for conducting crash tests the way they do. We have very specific reasons for doing crash tests the way we do. One is not better than the other, just different. In the end, the consumer benefits because there are two sets of highly respected safety ratings to compare."


    Bookmark:

    Recent Comments

    1 - 10 of 30
    30 comments

    Grapeman76 01:54:28 PM May 06 2008

    I feel that this survey all what ever it is probably paid for by the company%u2019s that are mention on this site because I know for sure that GM vehicles are some of the safest vehicle out there and I am deeply offended that they are not mention. For one thing the 2008 Chevy Malibu was rated the #1 car in America over Toyota and Honda and everyone else that come in between and don%u2019t even get me started GM Pick up trucks.

    Grapeman76 01:52:38 PM May 06 2008

    I feel that this survey!! all what ever it is, is probably paid for by the company%u2019s that are mention on this site because I know for sure that GM vehicles are some of the safest vehicle out there and I am deeply offended that they are not mention. For one thing the 2008 Chevy Malibu was rated the #1 car in America over Toyota and Honda and everyone else that come in between, and don%u2019t even get me started on GM Pick up trucks.

    JMGFREDERICK 07:04:32 AM May 06 2008

    IMPALA,JUST GIVE ME THE COMFORT OF MY CHEVY AND THE LOOKS AND POWER,IM HAPPY.

    Amiga519 11:19:16 AM Apr 28 2008

    Detballa04 has a real problem! Everyone else, had great points. Good Job.

    Wolfkopf123 08:14:13 AM Apr 28 2008

    Taurus has a good point, the money goes back to Japan, not very much , What Taurus overlooked or does nt know is that the Japanese carindustry in the US provides 100deredsof thousand of job for US worker including the dealer organnization owned by americans who are today the countriers millionares . without the japanese producte there would be less wealth . Japan also uses the money erned in the US to buy US Treasury Bonds in Galore in suport for the US economy. . If the Japanese should ever deside to presend the IOY 's to onle Sam , well, we might as well close the shop, / Todays card are all good, the differenc is in the design , some are more functional designed than others, others incorporate more advanced thechnologies . And designing a BMW , Lexus, VW based on Detroits Automotive Technologies , would make it a Ford or GMC in the end the al lhave a place somewhere in the global market .....

    Germanylancers 05:35:57 PM Apr 27 2008

    People need to understand that there are really no such things as german american japanese cars any more. Every car out there is made in a variety of countries not just one. The Honda civic which people call japanese is made in Ohio thus it is american since the profits stay with Honda of America. Most Fords are made in Mexico or Canada not the US. The Eos from VW is made in Spain Toyota makes cars in Indiana. You are actually more likely to have an american made car if you purchase from a foreign company from japan then you are buying a Ford or GM. That is just how things are. yet there is a stigma about certain car companies out there that tend to led buys certain ways. I have always been taught Ford is crap well and that is what i have seen VW lasts for ever my friend drives a 80s Jetta with over 425000 miles original engine and exhaust and he lives in Michigan, i have a Honda never has let me down another friend has a ford breaks all the time just a pile of junk. Ill stick

    JOSEPHnPATRICIA 03:42:52 PM Apr 26 2008

    I drove a Toyota Camry. I don't see what the fuss is all about. It was noisey, uncomfortable, underpowered, and the fit and finish were no better than the Grand Cherokee I own. If you gave me a Camry, I'd sell it. The only reason people think the Japenese products have superior quality, is media hype. If you are relying on information from Consumer Reports, you'll believe anything.

    RAYABARRETT 10:57:57 AM Apr 26 2008

    all americans should own an american car built by uaw , perhaps if you own a number of cars one foriegn one wouldn't hurt, also check out that chevy and ford both own foriegn companys.ie subaru
    mazda,

    DETBALLA04 11:58:23 PM Apr 19 2008

    The bottom line is I'm sick and tired of people telling other people buy Japanese, or buy American, or buy German. The real point is, if these American car companies (or any car company) really gave a rats ass about our our economy, then it would be in their best interest to build better cars than the Japanese and German so that we would purchase them OVER a Japanese or German. I can see the improvement already with the Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu comparison. (The Malibu is kicking the Accords ass!!! YES!!) Okay, maybe you're American and you're convinced. However, these American car companies need to do a better job marketing to FOREIGNERS living here!! Also, if it was in their best interest to care a lot about the American people and our economy, then they would also keep the plants here!! No excuses!! So much for caring right?? I own an Oldsmobile and two Toyota's. In the Oldsmobile, my glove box is falling apart, even duct tape can't hold it back. The Camry's like a Lexus, and th

    JohnC48176 01:18:31 AM Apr 18 2008

    If you think that the Japanese pay the wages that they do here in the US is because they want to think again. Do you realize that all the JAP plants are built in RIGHT TO WORK states? They know that the people of these states will work for less money and benefits because they are used to it, and will work very hard to keep working for nothing. If it wasn't for the Union's struggle for workers rights in the form of the Federal Labor Board, Discrimination in the work place, Affirmative action, and OSHA, to name a few, the fine Americans in these states would earn very little, but they are able to reap the benefits of the Union Brother's and Sister's struggles by just by hanging on to the their shirt tails. Also consider that when a US auto plant shuts down or becomes idle all the businesses of that community are affected; Restaurants, Stores, Shops, and the local tax base. Yes that means your taxes go up so all that money you saved on that rice burner you can now send to the government

    1 - 10 of 30
    30 comments

    Add your own Comments

    More on AOL Mail | Search | MapQuest | Shopping | Money | Travel | Jobs | Real Estate | | Site Map
    © 2008 AOL, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

    ©Copyright 2007 AOL, LLC All Rights Reserved
    BACK TO TOP