| all cars, two midsize cars, two midsize SUVs, one | | | | Midsize SUVs: 2009 Ford Flex and 2009 Honda Pilot |
| large luxury car, one small pickup, and a midsize | | | | Small pickup: 2009 Toyota Tacoma |
| convertible are the latest winners of the Insurance | | | | Midsize convertible: 2009 Volkswagen Eos |
| Institute for Highway Safety's TOP SAFETY PICK | | | | How vehicles are evaluated |
| award. | | | | The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are |
| Winners afford superior overall crash protection | | | | based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. |
| among the vehicles in their classes. To qualify, a | | | | Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on |
| vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the | | | | measurements of intrusion into the occupant |
| Institute's front, side, and rear tests. It also must be | | | | compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III |
| equipped with electronic stability control. | | | | dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion |
| "Criteria to win are tough because TOP SAFETY | | | | film to assess how well the restraint system controlled |
| PICK is intended to drive continued improvements such | | | | dummy movement during the test. |
| as good crash test ratings and rapid addition of | | | | Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash |
| electronic stability control, which is standard equipment | | | | test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier |
| on 9 of the 11 new winners," says Institute president | | | | moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end |
| Adrian Lund. "Recognizing vehicles at the head of the | | | | of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures |
| class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best | | | | recorded on 2 instrumented SID-IIs dummies, |
| overall choices without having to sort through multiple | | | | assessment of head protection countermeasures, and |
| test results." | | | | the vehicle's structural performance during the impact. |
| Winners by vehicle class | | | | Rear crash protection is rated according to a 2-step |
| Small cars: 2009 Honda Civic with optional electronic | | | | procedure. Starting points for the ratings are |
| stability control, | | | | measurements of head restraint geometry the |
| 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer with optional electronic stability | | | | height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind |
| control, | | | | the back of the head of an average-size man. Seat |
| 2008-09 Scion xB, and 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit | | | | head restraints with good or acceptable geometry are |
| Midsize cars: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta and 2009 | | | | tested dynamically using a dummy that measures |
| Volkswagen Passat | | | | forces on the neck. |
| Large luxury car: 2009 Lincoln MKS | | | | |