Today’s new cars are safer than ever before. But some cars remain safer than others and what you drive can have a significant impact on the safety of you and your family in the event of a serious car accident in Cape Coral, Fort Myers or the surrounding area.
Our Cape Coral personal injury lawyers want you to know about an improved government rating system and encourage you to make it part of your review process when considering the purchase of a new vehicle.
For the first time, the government’s 5-Star Safety Ratings System includes an overall vehicle rating. New, more rigorous crash tests are also performed using female crash-test dummies, in addition to the standard male test-dummies that have been in use for years.
“More stars equal safer cars,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “With our upgraded Five-Star Safety Ratings System, we’re raising the bar on safety. Through new tests, better crash data, and higher standards, we are making the safety ratings tougher and more meaningful for consumers.”
It’s no secret that some vehicles are safer than others. We have all seen some of the new subcompact vehicles hitting the road and certainly potential buyers will want to review safety ratings before making a purchase. But the well-publicized rollover dangers of some SUVs and the Toyota recalls of the last year prove that no vehicle is immune from vehicle defects or poor safety ratings.
“We want consumers to embrace these new safety technologies as a way to make vehicles safer,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland. “We believe electronic stability control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning offer significant safety benefits and consumers should consider them when buying a new car.”
And the good news is you do not have to pay a fortune for the added protection of a safer car: The BMW 5 series earned the best “5-star” rating but so did the modestly priced Hyundai Sonata.
Safety ratings for new and used cars are available here.