Modern cars are safe, but higher-speed crashes reveal serious weaknesses
A new study from IIHS and AAA showed driving at 56 mph can be far deadlier for drivers than even 50 mph. Listen - 02:16
It s absolutely true modern cars are much, much safer than vehicles from even 15 years ago. But just because automakers made massive strides in structural integrity and airbag technology doesn t mean the average car is invincible. This is precisely what a new study, published Thursday, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and AAA found.
The groups looked at rising speed limits across the country and what it means for the average, modern car, which is about 12 years old in 2021. With a handful of 2010 Honda CR-V crossovers at their disposal, they crash tested them at incremental speed increases. First, a CR-V crashed at 40 mph and it held up well with minimal intrusions in the cockpit. Jumping to 50 mph, the vehicle showed noticeable defo