Did your new small SUV pass the latest crash test?

If you look at California’s roads today, you’ll likely notice that small SUVs are becoming a popular vehicle of choice for many drivers. Currently, four crossover models are among the industry’s top twenty selling vehicles, according to a recent Forbes article.

As an attorney with safety in mind, I feel you should be informed that only two out of fourteen small SUVs have passed the latest crash tests.

Only the Subaru Forester and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport got passing marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “small overlap crash test.” This test replicates a situation such as hitting a pole or other fixed object.

The Forester received top marks, while the Outlander received an “acceptable rating.” To be fair, ten other small SUVs tested passed all other tests except the small overlap test. This earned them the IIHS’s “Top Safety Pick” recognition. These included the BMW X1 Buick Encore, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tuscon, Kia Sportage, Jeep Patriot, Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV-4, and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

In the small overlap frontal test, the small SUVs were crashed at forty miles per hour with only twenty-five percent of the vehicle’s front end on the driver side striking a five foot tall rigid barrier. This represents an auto accident in which the driver tries to avoid hitting a tree or utility pole at the last second.

As an auto accident attorney in Riverside, I’ve seen many accidents that could have left the drivers in better health had they been driving safer vehicles. I encourage you to keep safety in mind when driving your current vehicle and purchasing your next one.