Progressive Car Insurance Safety Rating

Progressive Car Insurance Safety Rating

Frontal-crash testing

For testing frontal collisions, crash-test dummies are placed in driver and front passenger seats and secured with the vehicle's seat belts. Vehicles are crashed into a fixed barrier at 35 miles per hour (mph), which is equivalent to a head-on collision between two similar vehicles each moving at 35 mph. Since the test reflects a crash between two similar vehicles, make sure you compare vehicles from the same weight class, ± 250 lbs., when looking at frontal crash protection ratings.

Instruments measure the force of impact to each dummy's head, chest, and legs. The resulting information indicates a belted person's chances of incurring a serious injury in the event of a crash. In the explanation of ratings below, a serious injury is one requiring immediate hospitalization and may be life threatening.

= 10% or less chance of serious injury
= 11% to 20% chance of serious injury
= 21% to 35% chance of serious injury
= 36% to 45% chance of serious injury
= 46% or greater chance of serious injury

Side-crash testing

For testing side impact collisions, crash-test dummies are placed in driver and (driver's side) rear passenger seats, on the side of vehicle struck, and secured with the vehicle's seat belts. This test represents an intersection-type collision with a 3,015 pound barrier moving at 38.5 mph into a standing vehicle. The barrier is covered with material that has "give" to replicate the front of a vehicle. Since all tested vehicles are impacted by the same size barrier, it is possible to compare all vehicles with each other when looking at side crash protection ratings.

Side-collision star ratings indicate the chance of a life threatening chest injury for the driver, front seat passenger, and the rear seat passenger. Head injury is not measured in these tests. As with the front-impact ratings, a serious injury is one requiring immediate hospitalization and may be life threatening.

= 5% or less chance of serious injury
= 6% to 10% chance of serious injury
= 11% to 20% chance of serious injury
= 21% to 25% chance of serious injury
= 26% or greater chance of serious injury

Differences between full frontal tests and offset crash tests

Tests crashes the full width of the front of a vehicle into a rigid barrier. This maximizes the energy absorbed by the front of the vehicle so that the occupant compartment is more likely to remain intact. The full frontal tests produce high level occupant compartment decelerations, making them very demanding of the restraint systems, thus providing better information on the safety features and their performance.

In offset crash tests, like those performed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), only one side of a vehicle's front end is hit, thus a smaller area of the structure absorbs the energy from the crash. Offset crashes are more demanding on the structure of a vehicle, and intrusion into the occupant compartment is more likely in these crashes.

Is your vehicle crash tested

NHTSA selects vehicles for testing and/or rating based primarily upon sales volume. Since not all vehicles can be tested, those with smaller sales volume may not have been selected. Only NHTSA rates vehicles on rollover resistance, but your vehicle may have been crash tested by another source. Try searching IIHS, EURO NCAP, NRMA or Japan's web site at the following addresses:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ratings.htm

http://www.fia.com/tourisme/safety/safint.htm

http://www.nrma.com.au/

http://www.osa.go.jp/

Vehicle Safety Resources

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, health, and safety groups and insurance companies and agents that seeks to educate the public, the press, and policymakers about the need for improved highway and auto safety regulations.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, oversees federal funding for the construction and improvement of highways, urban and rural roads, and bridges. In the area of safety, FHWA conducts research on safety practices and technologies for all phases of highway design and operations, focusing on ways to improve intersections, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, run-off-road safety, and speed management.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), formerly part of the Federal Highway Administration, oversees commercial motor vehicle safety. FMCSA activities include enforcement of safety regulations, targeting high-risk carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers, improving safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies, strengthening commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards, and increasing safety awareness.

The Injury Prevention Web (IPW) is an advertising-free site supported by the Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice at San Diego State University. It contains data on injury occurrence in each of the 50 US states, prevention information, policy recommendations, and a resources section with links to government and nonprofit sites worldwide.

Insurance Research Council (IRC) is an independent, nonprofit research organization supported by property and casualty insurance companies and associations. IRC conducts research to assist insurers and the general public in reaching sound decisions on legislative and regulatory issues.

Network of Employers for Traffic Safety The NETS mission is to reduce traffic crashes involving America's workers and their families by helping employers implement well-developed policies, dynamic workplace programs, and compelling community activities related to traffic safety.

Roadway Safety Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing highway deaths and injuries by improving the physical design and condition of roadways.