subject: Indianapolis 2011 Accent dealer sees top performance ratings suffer under new government standards [print this page] Indianapolis 2011 Accent dealer sees top performance ratings suffer under new government standards
Something new vehicle buyers need to know: the new government 5-Stat Safety Rating system will make it more difficult for cars and trucks to earn top ratings. This doesn't mean your vehicle has become less safe or that they are being built to lower standards. It simply means standards are catching up with new engineering innovations and safety systems.
Indianapolis 2011 Accent buyers can be sure that Hyundai is striving to make its vehicles as safe as ever and is constantly upgrading and improving their safety systems and construction. The Department of Transportation recently explained the new rating system, which has become stricter in order to encourage (or force) auto makers to increase their own standards.
This is not a bad thing for consumers, it will only look less impressive on paper for awhile. Eventually, auto manufacturers will catch up to standards again and the most conscientious who do everything possible to receive the highest safety ratings will achieve them again.
When buying a vehicle, whether new or from your Indianapolis used car dealer, check on the safety rating to see how that vehicle performed in rollover and front and side impact crash tests. This is especially important for pre-owned vehicles which may not contain all the advanced safety systems of the newer models. Most are still quite safe, though, and many are highly rated.
The good news for Hyundai buyers is that, of the first 34 vehicles tested under the new standards, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata and a BMW 5 Series were the only ones to receive the five star rating. This is the highest rating possible under the system, which evaluates front-end and side-impact crashed and rollovers. The program began in 1979 and has encouraged auto makers to add safety equipment like side-impact air bags and anti-rollover technology.
Prior to the new standards this year, most vehicles earned either four or five stars. This is compared to the beginning of the testing program in 1979 when not even a third of the vehicles rated four or five stars. So, obviously, the rating system has done much to improve vehicle safety for all of us. Customers of the Indianapolis used car dealer should still see the ratings under which their vehicles were tested, so those ratings shouldn't change.
With the new system, vehicles will be given an overall score that averages crash prevention technologies, crash test results and a new test that involves striking a pole. So even if an auto maker hasn't made changes to a model, the rating is likely to go down. This will just encourage manufacturers to add more safety features to get their ratings back up. Good news for Indianapolis 2011 Accent buyers.
