Car manufacturers improving roof strength safety

Auto manufacturers appeared to have focused efforts on improving roof strength for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports.The IIHS toughened criteria for its Top Safety Pick designation in 2009, by adding a requirement that all qualifiers must earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash. At the beginning of the 2010 model year, only 27 vehicles qualified for the award. That number has more than doubled to 68 for 2011 models.Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi are the frontrunners for Top Safety Pick winners, an IIHS release says. Each has nine models earning the designation for 2011. Ford’s Fiesta is the only minicar to earn Top Safety Pick in 2011. Volkswagen’s Touareg is the only large SUV to hold the designation. Top Safety Pick recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side and rear crashes based on good ratings in IIHS tests. Winners must also have available electronic stability control and a crash avoidance feature that significantly reduces crash risk.”In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” says Adrian Lund, IIHS’s president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV – from economy to luxury models – plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms. In fact, every major automaker has at least one winning model this year.”