ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — An insurance industry group named a
record 115 vehicles as "top safety picks" Monday, including the new
versions of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
The list from the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety includes 18 new recipients on top
of the 97 who qualified for the award last year and had it carry over
to the 2012 model year. The institute tests the vehicles to see how well
they hold up in front, side, rear and roll-over crashes.
The
Accord sedan returned to the list after a two-year absence. It hadn’t
won since IIHS added a roof strength test in 2010. In order to receive a
"good" rating for roof strength, IIHS requires that vehicles have roofs
more than twice as strong as the current federal standards.
A new federal standard for vehicle roofs is expected to be phased in beginning with the 2013 model year,
IIHS said.
IIHS
President Adrian Lund credited improved roof design with boosting
Honda’s safety ratings. Ten of the 18 new vehicles on the list are
produced by Honda.
"The automaker buckled down and upgraded roofs
on 10 models that missed winning last year because of rollover
protection," Lund said in a statement released by IIHS, noting that the
Japanese automaker now has winners in seven vehicle classes ranging from
mini cars to pickup trucks.
The 2012 Camry received its
first-ever top safety pick award, after falling short last year because
of a "marginal" rating for seat and heat restraints. A total of 15
Toyota vehicles received the top award this year, the most of any
automaker.
Toyota’s Pirus V, a larger version of its popular
hybrid, also made the list, along with the electric Chevrolet Volt and
Nissan Leaf.
IIHS groups the top safety picks by vehicle type and
size. While numerous mini and small cars scored well enough to make the
list, the institute stressed that larger, heavier cars usually protect
occupants better than smaller, lighter ones, even if those vehicles are
top safety picks.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.