A recent study conducted by the US Insurance Institute from Highway Safety revealed that while drivers of vehicles that received good ratings in institute’s challenging small overlap test can expect to be protected well in case of a crash, the passengers sitting next to them might not be so lucky. Therefore, the results made IIHS to consider to tighten its evaluation by adding a passenger-side rating as part of its Top Safety Pick criteria. “This is an important aspect of occupant protection that needs more attention,” said Becky Mueller, an IIHS senior research engineer and the lead author of the study. “More than 1,600 right-front passengers died in frontal crashes in 2014.” The Institute said a passenger-side small overlap ratings could start next year and make it a requirement for one of its safety awards as early as 2018.
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