Changes on the horizon for the NHTSA vehicle safety rating system
According to the California Highway Patrol, there were 223,128 people injured and 3,104 people killed in motor vehicle accidents across the state in 2013 alone. Such collisions occur despite regulations and technologies aimed at improving traffic and vehicle safety. Recently, however, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed major changes for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety rating system. Barring any significant issues, the changes would go into effect beginning with 2019 model year vehicles.
Changing the system
Currently, the NHTSA uses a single overall score system, which awards new vehicles one to five stars. The system primarily focuses
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However, it would also allow vehicles to receive half star increments. The new system will assess vehicles’ use of advanced technologies, including lane departure warning, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems. The hope is that this will push automakers to include these technologies as standard features on their vehicles. Currently, many of these technologies are available, but they are optional features, which may carry additional costs.
New crash tests
In addition to the updates to the rating system, the NHTSA will add tests to better gauge how vehicles fair in accidents. The NHTSA reports that the proposed updates include tests to assess how vehicles protect pedestrians from serious injuries in the event that they are hit.
Additionally, a full frontal barrier test will be added to the crash testing, which will be used to determine the safety of rear seat occupants in auto accidents. A frontal oblique test will also be implemented. This test will measure how vehicles’ occupants are protected during angled front wrecks. It is believed that these tests will help to drive safety improvements in vehicles, thereby cutting down on traffic-related injuries and