The Importance of Crash Testing Speeds Explained by IIHS

When it comes to vehicle safety, crash testing plays a crucial role in ensuring that cars are designed to protect occupants in the event of an accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is at the forefront of these efforts, conducting rigorous crash tests to evaluate the safety of vehicles on the road.

Why Does IIHS Focus on 40 mph Collisions?

One common question that arises is why the IIHS only tests vehicles at 40 mph when cars can legally travel at speeds up to 85 mph. The institute has addressed this concern by explaining that their testing speed is strategically chosen to capture the middle range of real-world crashes where serious injuries occur.

Understanding the Impact of Test Speeds

Raul Arbelaez, the vice president of the IIHS Vehicle Research Center, emphasizes that selecting the right test speed is critical in influencing how vehicles are designed. Testing vehicles at higher speeds, such as 85 mph, could actually compromise their safety in lower-severity crashes. This is because designing cars to withstand higher-speed impacts can result in stiffer structures that may perform poorly in less severe accidents.

The Effects of Increasing Test Speeds

Even a slight increase in test speed, such as going from 40 mph to 50 mph, can have a significant impact on vehicle design. The crash forces experienced at 50 mph are 56 percent higher than those at 40 mph, necessitating substantial changes in how cars are engineered to meet safety standards.

Conclusion

By focusing on 40 mph collisions, the IIHS aims to strike a balance between testing vehicles for severe crashes while also ensuring their safety in more common accidents. This approach allows car manufacturers to design vehicles that provide optimal protection across a range of crash scenarios.