The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just announced the lineup of 2011 model year vehicles that will be the first to receive new safety ratings under the safety agency’s all-new 5-star safety ratings program.
NHTSA says that the new safety test is intended to eventually make the comparison of different vehicles easier for consumers, although some initial confuse may result since the 2011 test’s results are said to not be comparable to previous year’s test results.
“The vehicles we are announcing today will be the first ones tested under the Department’s tougher, more rigorous 5-star ratings program,” said secretary Ray LaHood. “This new testing program significantly raises the safety bar for all vehicle manufacturers and will provide consumers with a great deal more safety information about the cars and trucks they want to buy.”
NHTSA says that its well-known 5-star crash testing program has been the gold standard by which consumers have come to relate safety of vehicles, and the safety administration hopes that the new test will help to provide an even more accurate depiction of total vehicle safety.
One key change to the crash test is the addition of criterion regarding crash avoidance technology, as opposed to simply focusing on crash survivability.
The list includes a total of 55 vehicles with a wide range of makes and models.
