How does NHTSA perform frontal-crash test and rate vehicles?
For testing frontal collisions, crash-test dummies are placed in driver and front passenger seats and secured with the vehicle’s seat belts. Vehicles are crashed into a fixed barrier at 35 miles per hour (mph), which is equivalent to a head-on collision between two similar vehicles each moving at 35 mph. Since the test reflects a crash between two similar vehicles, make sure you compare vehicles from the same weight class, ± 250 lbs., when looking at frontal crash protection ratings. Instruments measure the force of impact to each dummy’s head, chest, and legs. The resulting information indicates a belted person’s chances of incurring a serious injury in the event of a crash. In the explanation of ratings below, a serious injury is one requiring immediate hospitalization and may be life threatening.
