With the recent spike in fuel prices, many shoppers are now considering smaller, more efficient pickup trucks. However, a new report finds that small pickup buyers should be just as wary about safety as they are about fuel economy.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested small pickups for side-impact safety, and the results were not exactly as expected. Of the five pickups tested – the Toyota Tacoma , Dodge Dakota, Chevrolet Colorado , Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier – only the Tacoma earned the Institute’s top rating of ‘good.’ The Dakota, Ranger and Frontier all earned ratings of ‘marginal,’ while the Colorado received the IIHS’ lowest rating of ‘poor’ (the barrier actually hit the dummy’s head). Side-impact crashes are the second most common type of fatal crashes.
Of the five trucks, only the Tacoma was tested with side airbags due to the IIHS’ policies. If a vehicle has optional side air bags, the IIHS will test the vehicle without the side airbags. However, automakers have the option of a second test with a vehicle that does have side airbags, given the automaker reimburses the institute for the cost of the second vehicle. Dodge , Chevrolet and Nissan all declined that option, while the Ranger doesn’t even offer side airbags as an option.
Stability control is another safety feature glaringly omitted from most pickups, with only 12 percent of all pickups coming standard with some form of stability control. In contrast, 95 percent of all SUVs come standard with stability control.
According to the IIHS, small pickup trucks have the highest driver death rates of any vehicles on the road, including minicars.
