Car safety is one of the important factors to consider when buying a car, as it is related to the driving safety of individuals and families. The good news is that cars today are safer than ever before, but the level of safety varies among different car models.
Currently, vehicles not only have advanced technology but also unprecedented safety features. Despite being larger and faster than ever before, modern cars are equipped with various functions aimed at preventing accidents. With the combination of multiple airbags and reinforced collision structures, modern vehicles can handle many unpredictable situations.
Given that safety standards in the automotive industry are constantly evolving, the safety ratings from “US News & World Report” take into account various factors, including a range of standard driver assistance technologies offered by vehicles and their scores in crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Modern vehicles are equipped with not only standard airbags and rear-view cameras but also many advanced safety features. Some key features to consider include:
– Surround-view cameras: Provide a “bird’s eye” view for low-speed maneuvering, eliminating blind spots.
– Adaptive headlights: Adjust brightness and direction based on vehicle speed and road position.
– Forward collision warning: Alerts the driver to potential collision risks.
– Adaptive cruise control: Automatically adjusts cruise speed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.
– Automatic emergency braking: Helps prevent collisions or mitigate the severity of a collision in unavoidable situations.
– Tire pressure monitoring system: Ensures safe tire pressure during daily driving.
– LATCH system: Provides secure anchor points for child seats.
– Driver attention monitoring: Reminds the driver to stay alert, watch the road, or take a rest when fatigued.
– Lane departure warning: Alerts the driver if the vehicle deviates from the lane.
– Rear cross-traffic alert: Warns of vehicles or pedestrians when reversing.
– Lane-keeping assist: Helps the vehicle stay in the center of the lane.
– Blind spot monitoring: Detects vehicles or obstacles not visible in the rearview mirror and issues warnings.
The top 10 safest car models chosen by “US News & World Report” in 2024 received perfect scores (10/10), including sedans and SUVs, many of which are luxury vehicles.
The magazine stated that today’s new cars are equipped with more safety features than a few years ago. Luxury models often have more safety-related technologies than standard models, but there are exceptions. Nowadays, practical features such as forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, and automatic emergency braking have become standard equipment on almost every vehicle. Some vehicles’ premium configurations include other useful features such as lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, and driver attention monitoring.
Here are the top 10 safest cars selected by “US News & World Report”:
Estimated safety rating: 10/10
The 2024 Volvo V90 earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award the previous year, receiving the highest “good” rating in three crash tests conducted by IIHS. NHTSA has not yet tested the 2024 Volvo V90.
Estimated safety rating: 10/10
The V60 Recharge received the highest rating from IIHS in three crash tests, with excellent headlight illumination. A wide range of driver assistance devices are standard. Installation of child seats involves two complete LATCH connectors, with slightly challenging usability. NHTSA has not tested this model yet.
Estimated safety rating: 10/10
The 2024 Tesla Model 3 is an outstanding electric vehicle. It received high ratings for safety from NHTSA and IIHS.
IIHS awarded this car the highest ratings for collision safety and headlight effectiveness in all tests conducted, while NHTSA gave the all-wheel-drive version of this car a five-star overall safety rating, scoring top marks in all crash tests. The rear-wheel-drive version has not been evaluated yet.
(Continue with the rest of the car models mentioned in the original article)