Here at our phoenix personal injury law firm, we often bemoan the number of motor vehicle accident-injured clients we see every week.  We help our clients get compensation for their pain and suffering; however, we would be happier if there was a way to avoid motor vehicle accidents and the accompanying injuries and suffering.

Since 1978, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has offered 5-Star Safety Ratings to aid consumers purchase safer vehicles to better protect them on the road.  NHTSA crash-tests vehicles and assigns “star” ratings on how they perform.  Today, technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and NHTSA has realized that it is time to update their 5-Star Safety ratings to reflect those advances.  The updated 5-Star Safety Ratings will include the following:

The most advanced, human-like frontal crash test dummy in the world, which has additional sensors to better measure the stresses on the human body during motor vehicle accidents;

The WorldSID crash test dummy, which has advanced instrumentation to predict injuries to human bodies in different types of side collisions;

Advanced crash tests to target specific areas of the body and the likely injuries involved in a motor vehicle accident – chest, abdomen, spine, brain and upper and lower extremities;

Frontal oblique crash test that measures how well the vehicle protects in an angled frontal collision;

Improved frontal and side crash tests to protect front and rear seat occupants;

Ratings for selected motor vehicle accident avoidance and advanced technologies that aid the driver in preventing an accident and pedestrian protection technologies;

Half-star ratings to provide more detailed comparative information about vehicle safety performance.

NHTSA aims to develop safer drivers, safer vehicles and safer roads for our future.

Consumers will be able to check our 5-Star Safety Ratings online at Safercar.gov and through our SaferCar app for iOS[external link] and Android [external link] devices.