Recent studies have shown that safety and safety rating are among top priorities for consumers considering the purchase of a new car. As a side note it is the top priority followed by quality.
Many different rating organizations have systems where they rate the safety factors for each new model vehicle. Additionally the federal government also provides crash test ratings that tend to be very accurate.
According to Forbes magazine, the safest three vehicles on the road today are the BMW 5 series, the Cadillac CTS and the Subaru Legacy.
The pics from Forbes were based upon a pretty elaborate evaluation included information from the Institute of Highway safety and also testing criteria from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Generally larger vehicles are picked to be safer for occupants than smaller ones due to the physics of a 3000 pound vehicle running into a 6000 pound vehicle. Consumers are balancing safety factors with the MPG of various models to look for a combination of gas mileage and safety. With gas approaching four dollars per gallon miles per gallon must be consideration on almost any purchase.
In Europe, the trend is toward smaller vehicles and has been that way for a long time. When everyone drives smaller vehicles the safety factor of the smaller vehicle does not get compounded by the risk of running into a larger vehicle.
In other words in Europe everyone buys smaller vehicles and the odds of being struck by a larger car are relatively small. Of course, we in America have gotten used to our larger cars and in Texas, big pickups.
Safety ratings can be obtained by numerous organizations including Consumer Reports, NHTSA and others.
Greg Baumgartner is a Texas personal injury lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston automobile accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.
