The 2008 Ford Taurus X, a midsize SUV, meets the criteria to win the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's TOP SAFETY PICK award. Winners of this designation afford superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their class. To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in all three Institute tests -- front, side, and rear -- and be equipped with electronic stability control.
"Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as high crash test ratings and rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard equipment on the Taurus X," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple results."
Initially only 13 cars, minivans, and SUVs qualified for 2007 awards. As automakers introduce new models or make safety changes to existing ones, the Institute adds winners throughout the year. Ford's Freestyle, predecessor to the Taurus X, earned top crash test ratings but didn't qualify for the 2007 award because electronic stability control wasn't available.
Seven of the 22 current TOP SAFETY PICKs are from Ford or its subsidiary, Volvo.
How vehicles are evaluated: The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
Source: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/06/25/052955.html
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