If you are shopping for a new car, maybe you're leaning towards a small fuel-efficient car to help you save money on your auto insurance and help save the environment. As with any new vehicle purchase, one of the most important questions you have to ask is about the safety of you new car. Particularly when purchasing a smaller car, you need to know if you are putting yourself at risk in the event of an accident.
Overall, small, lightweight cars - the type that get the best gas mileage, are generally less safe that large, heavy ones. The most important aspects to a car's safety and its ability to keep you safe in the event of an accident are its safety equipment, weight and resistance to rollover. While small cars pass the roll over test easily - they are low to the ground and thus unlikely to roll, they lack weight and are less likely to have advanced safety features like stability control or full side curtain airbags.
How to determine the cost of your small car insurance
The first thing to look at when determining the insurance rates of small cars is the government agency responsible for conducting crash tests on cars; The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. The NHTSA created a 5-star ranking program that rates the safety of cars by conducting different tests that show what happens to a car when it is in certain types of accidents.
There are three main tests the NHTSA conducts; front-end collision, rollover resistance, and a side crash with a moving target. A star rating is applied to the car based upon how it performs in each of these crash tests. Using this rating you can determine how safe your car will be in the event of a common crash.
Check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's safety ratings for your type of small car next when gathering your safety information. The IIHS collects data from the state and from insurance companies around the country on various types of car wrecks. In addition to the mountain of real life data they compile, the IIHS also conducts their own safety tests that are different from the NHTSA because the IIHS's tests are conducted with other vehicles, the NHTSA's crash tests on the other hand are done with a wall. By using all of the information gathered by the IIHS you can determine whether a smaller car is statistically safer on the road filled with SUV sized cars.
Finally, when wrapping up your car safety research, find out what the manufacturer has to say about the safety of your car. Safety isn't just determined only by how well a car performs in a crash test; it is also based on the safety equipment provided by the manufacturer to make the car safer as soon as it pulls off the lot. As their demand in the market has risen, Car manufacturers have been adding safety features to small cars. These types of safety features can be used as a major determining factor for car safety because it reduces the likelihood of a car being involved in an accident while on the road.
Regardless of what you drive, though, all experts agree that how you drive is the most important safety factor and the most important factor in determining your insurance rates. On Texas highways, crowded with big trucks and SUV's, a small car can seem like a dangerous alternative and indeed sometimes it is. If you are in the market for a new car and are looking to save money by purchasing a smaller more fuel-efficient car, make sure you do your research and find the safest model possible.
Overall, small, lightweight cars - the type that get the best gas mileage, are generally less safe that large, heavy ones. The most important aspects to a car's safety and its ability to keep you safe in the event of an accident are its safety equipment, weight and resistance to rollover. While small cars pass the roll over test easily - they are low to the ground and thus unlikely to roll, they lack weight and are less likely to have advanced safety features like stability control or full side curtain airbags.
How to determine the cost of your small car insurance
The first thing to look at when determining the insurance rates of small cars is the government agency responsible for conducting crash tests on cars; The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. The NHTSA created a 5-star ranking program that rates the safety of cars by conducting different tests that show what happens to a car when it is in certain types of accidents.
There are three main tests the NHTSA conducts; front-end collision, rollover resistance, and a side crash with a moving target. A star rating is applied to the car based upon how it performs in each of these crash tests. Using this rating you can determine how safe your car will be in the event of a common crash.
Check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's safety ratings for your type of small car next when gathering your safety information. The IIHS collects data from the state and from insurance companies around the country on various types of car wrecks. In addition to the mountain of real life data they compile, the IIHS also conducts their own safety tests that are different from the NHTSA because the IIHS's tests are conducted with other vehicles, the NHTSA's crash tests on the other hand are done with a wall. By using all of the information gathered by the IIHS you can determine whether a smaller car is statistically safer on the road filled with SUV sized cars.
Finally, when wrapping up your car safety research, find out what the manufacturer has to say about the safety of your car. Safety isn't just determined only by how well a car performs in a crash test; it is also based on the safety equipment provided by the manufacturer to make the car safer as soon as it pulls off the lot. As their demand in the market has risen, Car manufacturers have been adding safety features to small cars. These types of safety features can be used as a major determining factor for car safety because it reduces the likelihood of a car being involved in an accident while on the road.
Regardless of what you drive, though, all experts agree that how you drive is the most important safety factor and the most important factor in determining your insurance rates. On Texas highways, crowded with big trucks and SUV's, a small car can seem like a dangerous alternative and indeed sometimes it is. If you are in the market for a new car and are looking to save money by purchasing a smaller more fuel-efficient car, make sure you do your research and find the safest model possible.
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