The International Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the number of injuries, loss of life, and damage to property on America's roads and highways. They routinely evaluate automobiles and provide safety assessments for the motoring public. Recently, all seven models from Subaru in Gulfport, MS passed IIHS for the fifth year in a row, making it America's safest automobile. Denis Flierl reports on how the car manufacturer accomplished such a feat in an article for Torque News:
The two newest Subaru's shined in IIHS's small overlap test earning Top Safety Pick and TSP plus awards. Subaru has more 2014 IIHS Top Safety Pick awards than any other brand. Subaru is the only manufacturer with IIHS Top Safety Picks for all models for five consecutive years (2010-2014).
Recipe for safety
Subaru has always been big on collision protection since the 1960s. They are the only car manufacturer to incorporate crash safety features into their specifications long before other brands did. It began with increasing cabin rigidity which can absorb impact from all directions.
Subaru made changes to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes in 2014. This is a result of Subaru engineers improving the already effective ring-shaped reinforcement frame used in Subaru vehicles. Subaru's ring-shaped reinforcement frame has been used for more than a decade and has proven very effective.
It starts with design
Before a model is put into production, it has to meet safety targets first. The design team uses advanced computer imagery to create impact simulations. Once a prototype has been built, a real crash assessment is conducted in Subaru's testing facilities, and the results are integrated into the prototype's finalization.
Future protection
Subaru dealerships serving Gulfport, MS, like Baldwin Subaru, guarantee the 2015 lineup of vehicles will be just as safe (if not safer) than before. Motorists can be assured that the BRZ, Impreza, WRX/STI, XV Crosstrek, Forester, Legacy and Outback models are among the safest on America's roads. Coming from a five-time safety champion, you know you're in good hands when you hit the road in a Subaru.
(Article Excerpt and Image from "7 reasons why Subaru achieved remarkable 7 2014 IIHS Top Safety Picks", 21 August 2014, Torque News)
