Last year, IIHS decided it was time to update it testing protocols to reflect the size and weight of vehicles currently sold in the United States. As a result, 23 percent of deaths in passenger vehicles in 2018 were due to side impacts. Cars, SUVs, and trucks have gotten considerably larger, taller, and heavier since 2003. The remaining 1 percent are rated acceptable.

In 2003, only 20 percent of the first vehicles tested earned a “good” rating. IIHS says, “The program has been so successful that the current side ratings no longer help consumers distinguish among vehicles or point the way toward further improvements.” As a result, automakers upped their game by adding side impact airbags, which have proven to be quite effective at protecting people in side impact situations. Henry Ford II once complained that safety doesn’t sell, but consumers learned to shun cars with poor crash test ratings. The battering ram used to conduct the IIHS side impact test was set to travel at 31 miles per hour into the side of a test vehicle. IIHS also pioneered the use of specialized testing dummies - one similar in size and weight to a small woman, and the other similar to a 12 year old child. It used a taller barrier to reflect the real-world height of an SUV, which at that time weighed 3000 pounds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performs crash tests, but the IIHS side impact test was different from the similar test performed by NHTSA. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety added a side crash test to its standard testing protocols in 2003 The testing was intended to recreate what happens in the real world when two vehicles collide.

Kia telluride crash test rating