Crash Test: Toyota Prius
Authoritative American organisation Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has decided to repeat a series crash-tests. Taking into account crisis, experts took for tests cars with the low expense of fuel: hybrids Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and compact Kia Soul. All three models have successfully sustained tests and have received a title «Top Safety Pick».Crash-tests IIHS include a head-on collision, lateral blow and blow behind. To receive the highest point, the model should not only sustain "well" all three collisions, but also have the electronic control of stability. As informs New York Times, the electronic control of stability is available in a standard complete set of all variants Soul and Prius. In a case with Insight this system is in a complete set of expensive models, for example EX, but is absent even as an option on a cheap variant LX.
As experts of the organisation declare, in a case with Prius they did not undertake at all to execute own crash-test. As the previous variants of this model have received at them good estimations, they were limited to that data and a videoclip about testing of the given model have requested of a motor-car manufacturer.
After video viewing, it has been decided to include model Toyota Prius in number of safe cars in absentia. However, he has noted, within a year employees of institute still will break pair of cars to check up objectivity given Toyota data.
During check Honda Insight experts have noticed, that at a head-on collision the doll head has hit about a lateral door therefore the pillow of the safety which have prevented blow about firm parts of the car has there and then worked. At lateral blow some risk of damages of edges, however other dangers was showed, experts have concluded, is not observed.
The head of the doll set in Prius, at a head-on collision has hit about the central rack of the car, however, as observers — "very poorly" assure. But, despite a safety pillow, the dummy head has strongly hit about a steering wheel. In Soul at a head-on collision the dummy has slightly touched with a head a frame of a lateral door, but, as well as in a case with Prius, has strongly hit about a wheel through a safety pillow. That specifies, according to experts, on possibility at the driver of serious traumas.
In the conclusion, despite an appreciation for the tested cars, experts of institute have declared: it is necessary to remember, that the received results are adequate at collision of the compact car with transport of the same weight category. If the car which has received the status «Top Safety Pick» faces with heavier and dimensional, let even is insignificant — results can appear much more serious.
Besides the mentioned novelties, the status of as much as possible safe cars have received this year Ford Focus Coupe, four-door Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer (all models with the electronic control of stability), and also Scion xB, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Rabbit.