It is absolutely true that modern cars are much, much safer than vehicles from 15 years ago. But just because automakers have made great strides in structural integrity and airbag technology, that doesn’t mean that the average car is invincible. This is precisely what a new study, published Thursday, from the Insurance Institute for Road Safety and AAA found.
The groups looked at increasing speed limits across the country and what that means for the average modern car, which is about 12 years old in 2021. With a handful of 2010 Honda CR-V crossovers at their disposal, they tested them at incremental speed increases. First, a CR-V crashed at 64 km / h and held up well with minimal intrusion into the cabin. Jumping to 80 km / h, the vehicle showed “noticeable deformation” in the opening of the driver’s side door, dashboard and foot area. That’s exactly what you don’t want in the event of an accident, as parts and components push in and threaten the occupants. Think of the cockpit, ideally, as a cocoon while the exterior wrinkles around it.
Remember that in most states, interstate highway speeds range from 55 mph to 65 mph and reach over 80 mph in eight states. IIHS noted that speed limits he did not cover the drivers and spoke to the elephant in the room: Anyway, we tend to go faster than the established speed limits. States with speed limits of 80 mph probably have drivers doing 90 mph or faster.
In the third and final crash test, the vehicle crashed at just 56 mph and the IIHS noted that the interior of the CR-V was “significantly compromised”. Worse, the puppet registered neck injuries and signs of fractured leg bones. With only a 6 mph increase in speed to 50 mph, drivers have a much greater chance of injury.
At 80 and 90 km / h, however, the movement of the steering wheel also caused the mannequin’s head to push the airbag and its face to collide with the steering wheel. The possibility of facial fractures and “severe brain injury” was classified as “high risk” at these speeds.
IIHS and AAA urged policy makers to take this into account while discussing regulations or enforcement policies when it comes to speed limits. Drivers should also keep this in mind: it is easy to forget that traveling far beyond an advertised speed limit often results in just saving a few minutes.
See this:
Jeep Wrangler rolls during the IIHS crash test
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