Ford, Honda Top List of Safety Picks
Ford isn’t quite as bad off as ailing General Motors, saying it has adequate operating capital to last through 2009. If potential customers make their buying decisions on safety standings along, Ford leads the automotive pack with 16 vehicles rated as “top safety picks” for 2009.
The designations are worked up by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and are based on such criteria as seats and head restraints, electronic stability control, and the presence of side airbags. Ford’s Volvo brands ad the re-designed Ford F-150 all made the grade.
Honda came in second in the study with 13 top safety picks, including the Honda Fit, which is the first economy car to be named by the Institute. Alas, poor Chrysler, came out with goose eggs — not one Chrysler model made the grade, essentially due to less than top quality seats and head restraints. (That means the crash dummies used for the front and side impact crash tests got beat up pretty badly.)
Overall, safety features are looking much more ubiquitous for 2009, with 74 percent of cars and 99 percent of SUVs featuring electronic stability control. Pick-ups lag behind with just 37 percent being outfitted with the systems.
To review the entire list of 72 top safety picks, go to www.iihs.org.