The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has recently updated its moderate overlap front crash test to include a rear passenger dummy positioned behind the driver, and only four out of 13 midsize SUVs tested earned good ratings. The Ford Explorer, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Subaru Ascent and Tesla Model Y were the only vehicles to receive a good rating, while three others received marginal ratings and six more were rated poor.
The updated test was launched last year to address the fact that front-seat safety gains have not been matched in the rear, with research showing that the risk of a fatal injury is 46 percent higher for belted occupants in the rear seat than in the front in vehicles from model year 2007 onward. This is due to the fact that restraint technologies have only improved in the front seat.
To earn a good rating in the updated test, measurements recorded by sensors in the second-row dummy must not exceed limits indicating an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest, abdomen or thigh. Video footage and greasepaint applied to the dummy’s head must confirm that the restraints prevented the head from hitting the vehicle interior or coming too close to the front seatback and also prevented the dummy’s body from “submarining,” or sliding forward beneath the lap belt, which causes abdominal injuries.
The four vehicles that earned a good rating provide solid protection for rear passengers, with the seat belt remaining properly positioned on the pelvis, the side curtain airbag performing correctly, and no excessive force on the dummy’s chest. However, measurements taken from the rear dummy indicated a slight risk of head or neck injuries for the Ascent and Explorer, as well as the Model Y, due to the dummy’s head approaching the front seatback.
IIHS President David Harkey noted that while all the vehicles tested provide excellent protection for the driver, only a handful extend that level of safety to the back seat. Overall, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y have both earned overall ‘good’ ratings from the IIHS, indicating that they provide excellent protection not only for drivers, but also for rear passengers.
