New IIHS Test Looks Out For Passengers In Small Overlap Crash

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a new test that automakers must pass to earn a coveted Top Safety Pick + award. It's called the passenger-side small overlap test, and as you can probably guess from the name, it examines what happens to front-seat passengers during a collision where only a relatively small portion of the front end contacts a stationary object. In its initial testing group, ten out of 13 midsize cars received good ratings, with the rest checking in as marginal.

This test has actually been part of the IIHS crash portfolio for several years, but only on the driver side. Important bits like steering wheels and gauges mean the driver and passenger side of an automobile can absorb impacts differently, so IIHS felt it prudent to see if passengers were getting as much protection in collisions as the driver. For the most part, that answer is yes.

"The midsize cars we tested didn't have any glaring structural deficiencies on the right side," said IIHS Senior Research Engineer Becky Mueller. "Optimizing airbags and safety belts to provide better head protection for front-seat passengers appears to be the most urgent task now."

The test involves sending vehicles into a stationary barrier at 40 mph, with only a quarter of the front end on the passenger side actually contacting the barrier. Such tests can send the force-of-impact through vehicles in a manner which misses primary crumple zones, and simulates what may happen during a collision with objects such as trees or other fixed barriers.

Pictures included with the announcement show three vehicles in various stages of the crash test. Of these, the 2018 Subaru Outback earned a good rating, with good marks overall as well as for structure, passenger restraints, and various passenger injury measures. The other two cars – a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu and 2017 Volkswagen Passat, received marginal scores. Specifically, the Malibu was marginal overall and in passenger restraints, with acceptable ratings for structure and in some of the injury measures. The Passat scored nearly the same, with a slightly better score for lower leg and foot injuries.