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SUV sides may not be as strong as they may look at first sight, in the event of a car accident, especially in four specific SUVs, as reported by the recent car crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS).
In these tests, four out of eight SUVs only received an overall evaluation of marginal for side protection. And in the car crash tests regulated by the IIHS, there are only 4 ratings: good, acceptable, marginal, and poor. So these four SUVs all received just one rating short of the lowest possible rating. They did not even receive acceptable test ratings.
Before purchasing a car our auto accident lawyers suggest you check to see if the automobile you are purchasing has a history of design defects. After that, you might consider the following safety studies as an accident prevention consideration.
Two of them, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, received marginal scores despite the fact that they were equipped with front AND rear head curtain automobile accident type air bags. In both of the car crash tests, the air bags performed well, and successfully protected the crash dummy’s head from being hit by any hard structures either in the vehicle or by the barrier used in the auto accident tests.
The side structure of both cars was not strong enough, however. Both of the cars allowed too much intrusion by the crash test barrier into the driver’s seats of the automobiles. In simpler terms, the car’s driver’s seat was crushed in the test crash. Another problem was the lack of chest-level air bags, to protect the rib cage as well as the organs in the chest area in the event of an automobile accident.
The Nissan Pathfinder and the Nissan Xterra received marginal ratings only when tested without their car side air bags. This type of test is performed because there always exists a chance that an air bag fails to properly expand or activate in the event of a car accident. Furthermore, the side air bags in the Nissan Pathfinder and the Nissan Xterra were optional for car buyers, which means the people who choose not to have them may be in great danger in the case of an auto accident which will likely to lead to calling a car accident lawyer. With the optional air bags installed, however, both Nissans received good side-impact auto accident test ratings.
The car crash tests of all 4 of these autos were performed very realistically. For instance, in the side car accident test, the car’s driver’s side of the automobile as struck by a 3,300 pound barrier moving at 31 miles an hour. The barrier was designed to resemble to front end of a pickup truck just before an automobile accident or S.U.V. in size and height. As for the speed, that seems reasonable on a local road, or even slightly on the slow side in the event of an automobile accident.
In a similar real-world car accident, the drivers of these 4 S.U.V.’s would very likely have fractured ribs injuries to internal organs due to a car accident. As for the TrailBlazer, the driver could further possibly suffer serious neck injuries/whiplash due to a car accident.
Although these were car accident statistics for the 2007 models, these results apply to several model years. Additionally, these results apply not only to 2005-2008 Grand Cherokee and TrailBlazer, but also to untested cars with similar designs to the TrailBlazer, which include the 2005-2008 GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7X as well as the 2005-2007 Buick Rainier, which has already been forced out of production.
Our firm’s car accident lawyers the put the safety of the automobile driver and passengers as our first concern, so we want to make sure that people are clear of the auto crash-test ratings before buying a car or driving around in one. Just think of the possible injuries you could suffer in an unsafe car when it is involved in an automobile accident.
But just in case, get yourself covered by the best auto insurance policy that you can afford. It is the safe and legal thing to do!
Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines