IIHS Top Safety Pick List for 2015 Is Out: Which Cars, SUVs Are the Safest on Road?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded 71 vehicles of its two awards, the Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick. The number is nearly double the 39 vehicles which received the awards last year, indicating that auto manufacturers are taking customer safety more seriously.

A total of 33 vehicles received the Top Safety Pick+ award, which is 11 vehicles more than last year. Considering the fact that the IIHS has introduced more stringent criteria for choosing which vehicles receive the top-tier award, the number becomes even more impressive.

Cars from Asian and European manufacturers dominated this year's Top Safety Pick+ awardees list, with Toyota receiving the award for five of its vehicles, followed by Subaru with four winners, and Volvo, Acura and Lexus with three each. Also included in the list are vehicles from BMW, Infiniti, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi and Chrysler, the only American manufacturer with a vehicle receiving the Top Safety Pick+ award.

American brands, however, are not that unsafe, as Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Lincoln all received the Top Safety Pick award for their vehicles.

For a vehicle to receive a Top Safety Pick award, it must receive at least a Good rating in four performance tests, including moderate overlap front crash test, side impact, roof strength and head restraints. It must also receive at least an acceptable rating in the IIHS' small overlap crash test, which was added only in 2012.

The IIHS reports that not many vehicles are still adequately equipped to impress during the small overlap crash test, which commonly happens on the road as when the vehicle hits a tree or a lamp post. During the small overlap crash test, the vehicle driving at 40 miles per hour is made to hit a barrier with just one-fourth of its front bumper. This is difficult to pass because the impact is concentrated on a small area directly in front of the driver's seat, which is outside the safety structures normally built into most vehicles.

Among the vehicles with vastly improved structures, the IIHS says, are the Honda CR-V and Toyota Prius v, both Top Safety Pick+ winners. The Honda CR-V received a Good rating in the small overlap test after reinforcing the SUV's door frames and side frames, while the Prius v saw its front bumper extended and its door frame strengthened. The hybrid sedan also added structure to better tie its door-hinge pillar and frame.

To earn a Top Safety Pick+ award, vehicles must score the same ratings for the five crash tests and must include an automatic braking system to help prevent collisions. Previously, vehicles eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award only needed to have a front collision warning system with an Advanced or Superior rating. The IIHS tests to see if the vehicle stops or slows down before hitting a target at 12 miles per hour, 25 miles per hour, or both.

"Although forward collision warning on its own is a valuable feature, we decided to tighten our criteria to encourage manufacturers to offer autobrake. Systems that don't require a driver response to avoid or mitigate a crash have the most potential for reducing crashes," says IIHS President Adrian Lund. "Nevertheless, the models that are losing their plus signs are still great choices for safety, as are all the Top Safety Pick winners."

This year, the following vehicles received the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards from the IIHS.