Car, Understanding the Importance of Car Safety Ratings |
When purchasing a new car, it's easy to get caught up in that idea alone; a favorite color, and a favorite extra can lead you to be sure that you have found the exact car that you want. There is more to a new car than just the look, however, and it is important to do some research to fully understand the full function of your car. One of the most important statistics available for a car is the safety rating. For many, it is incredibly important that the vehicle they choose can be safe, even in an accident. These ratings can be somewhat confusing or misleading, however.
First, it is important to understand that an economy car is rated up against the other economy cars in it's class. An SUV is rated against SUV's and SUV's only. A safety rating is simply telling you how the car you are looking into stacks up against other cars in it's class. This is important to know, as a high rating for an SUV is not comparable to a high rating for a small, compact, economy car.
Next, it is important to note what exactly is being rated on the car that you are looking into. The interior safety, such as seat belt strength/resistance and air bag deployment are taken into account when considering exactly how safe a car is. These things help the safety of the rider on the interior, and are important to note when looking into the safety of a car.
Then, there are the collision and impact ratings. There is head on collision, side collision, rear end collision; the list is endless. Any type of collision that can happen to your car is tested to ensure that the correct safety rating is given to that vehicle. This helps the consumer understand how safe they would be in any type of situation. These tests measure the stress that occurs to the different body parts of the driver (or passenger) to fully understand how safe that rider is in that car in all situations.
Safety ratings also include the possibility of a car roll over, and consider the weight of the car. This measures how easily the car could roll over, and the exact weight of the car to understand how stable the car will be in an accident. All of the aforementioned ratings are rated on a 5 star scale. 5 stars means that there is a 10% or less chance that serious injury, or a roll over, are possible. The stars than work themselves down to one, which is considered a very poor safety rating for a car.
Why worry about a safety rating? Accidents happen all the time. Having a vehicle with a high safety rating means that you are going an extra step to ensure that you and your passengers are kept safe. Sure, a slick exterior and 6 CD changer are nice, but having peace of mind, knowing that you car can keep you safe, is just as nice of a feature. |
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