Overview: Top Safest Cars for 2008

The Top 10 Safest Cars in the United States are typically presented to American consumers through a variety of automotive industry publications and are often displayed and categorized by vehicle type and size (i.e., economy/compact, mid-size sedans, etc.), as well as identified by manufacturer and model year.  For the 2008 model year, the first three vehicles topping the list of the top 10 safest cars are manufactured by BMW and include the BMW 5 Series, MINI Cooper, and X5-Series.  The remaining two spots in the first five of the 10 safest cars list are manufactured by Cadillac and have been awarded to the Cadillac CTS and SRX.
Some of the standard safety equipment commonly found in the cars rated highest for safety include telecommunication and informatics systems, such as BMW Assist and OnStar.  These systems combine various advanced technologies, including GPS, to monitor the vehicle’s location and performance, and will notify emergency personnel in case of an accident, which is especially important if the driver is incapacitated due to the crash.

In the United States, there are two predominant organizations that perform the tests and conduct the research that ultimately determines the actual safety rating of each vehicle tested in comparison to others on the market.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, also known as IIHS, is supported entirely by automotive insurers.  The IIHS produces annual lists that apply to each vehicle tested and presents the information in one of the four categories of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, also conducts research and performs crash tests to identify which vehicles are amongst the 10 safest cars.  However, the NHTSA and IIHS perform their crash tests differently, and therefore the results and the information they provide may also differ.  The NHTSA uses a 5 star rating system, with 1 star indicating the lowest level of safety, and 5 stars being representative of the highest safety rating.

Many different automotive industry specialist publications provide annual top ten safest cars lists to help automotive consumers by offering the information they need to make well informed choices about their new or used car purchases.  Some of these automotive industry publications are available in hard copy or Internet only versions, or they may be available as a combination of both.  Smart shoppers will research their vehicles prior to purchase, rather than just trust the automotive dealership sales representative.  Many different automotive industry publications provide valuable information to potential car buyers presented in a variety of unique ways.  However, in general, the one thing all reputable publications share is the source from which they obtain the actual automotive manufacturers that conduct the testing and research that ultimately constitute the actual safety ratings list of the 10 safest cars for any given year.

The rating systems, as well as the crash tests performed, differ between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and therefore can result in different results when reporting the ten safest cars.  The differences in the crash test results between the same model tested by the IIHS and the NHTSA can be substantial, and both should be considered for thorough research of a car you intend to purchase that is within your budget and amongst one of the safest vehicles you can buy to meet your automotive needs.  The differences between the crash tests conducted by the IIHS and the NHTSA include the fact that the IIHS tests also include a car's seat belt and air bag performance, as well as the car's structural integrity.  The crash tests performed by the National Highway Safety Administration include front, side, and rollover resistance, while the crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety includes front, side, and rear impact.

However, no matter how safely built a vehicle is, the most important safety feature of any car is its driver.  Drivers are encouraged to attend driver education courses that will teach the actual driving techniques that help motorists be safer drivers, which will, of course, protect them, as well as their passengers and other drivers on the road.  Avoiding things that can distract the driver from the road, or the act of physically driving the car, like cell phones, excessive conversation with multiple passengers, eating, and even fumbling around for one’s favorite music choice are often found to be the cause of an accident.  No matter what car you drive, if the driver does not practice safe driving techniques, the driver, passengers, and other motorists will be at risk.

The cost of automotive insurance for a particular vehicle is definitely affected by the safety ratings issued by both the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  In addition to compensating the driver with lower rates if the insured driver's motor vehicle record is good, insurance companies offer lower insurance rates for vehicles that are amongst the top 10 safest cars.

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