Accord and Several Other Honda Models Win Top IIHS Ratings

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) recently altered one of its front collision tests to take into account the safety of rear passengers. Previously, only front passenger safety was monitored as they were considered the most vulnerable. In a recent test of five midsize sedans and one wagon, Rairdon’s Honda of Marysville is proud that in the words of the IIHS press release headline, “Honda Accord shines while other midsize cars struggle in rear-seat safety test.”

Taking Rear Passengers Into Account

The moderate front overlap test is the most challenging of front collision tests, as only part of the car can be called upon to protect the driver and passengers upon impact. It is also a common type of collision as vehicles are more likely to impact part of another car or object than hit them straight on. 

While manufacturers have improved their cars to protect front passengers in these tests, IIHS noticed that front passengers are now faring better than rear passengers. Consequently, they added crash dummies to the rear and added the rear passenger results to the test. Unlike the adult-sized front test dummies, the rear dummies are the approximate size of a 12-year-old child.

In addition to the front passenger metrics, for a vehicle to earn a “Good” rating, there can’t be an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest, or thigh, as recorded by the second-row dummy. The dummy should remain correctly positioned during the crash without submarining. The head should also remain a safe distance from the front seatback and the rest of the vehicle interior, and the shoulder belt should remain on the shoulder, where it is most effective. A pressure sensor on the rear dummy’s torso is used to check the shoulder belt position during the crash.

Only the Accord Shines

In a recent test of the 2023 Honda Accord and five computing 2023 vehicles of similar size, only the Accord emerged with an overall “Good” rating – IIHS’ highest – now that rear passenger safety is taken into account. The Subaru Outback was judged “Acceptable”, the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima received a “Marginal” rating, while the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Volkswagen Jetta were all given “Poor” ratings. In all cases, the ratings came from the injury measurements of the rear passengers.

A Family of Models with High Safety Ratings

These are the first tested vehicles in which the rear passengers have been taken into account. For the previous tests, the 2023 Honda models did quite well. Specifically, the 2023 Honda IIHS Top Safety Pick (TSP) and Top Safety Pick + (TSP+) award winners include:

• Accord (TSP+)
• Civic Hatchback (not including Type R) (TSP)
• Civic Sedan (TSP)
• Honda CR-V (TSP+)
• HR-V (TSP+)
• Odyssey (TSP+)
• 2023 Honda Pilot (TSP+)

Part of Honda’s success in collision tests can be attributed to its proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and next-generation passenger front airbag technology, which are designed to provide a high level of collision protection for occupants. This is just another of many reasons your next vehicle should be a Honda, and your next Honda should be purchased from Rairdon’s Honda of Marysville with its award-winning service and over 5,300 5-star Google reviews.