PICKUPS FARE POORLY IN CRASH TESTS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted tests recently and concluded that the 2009 versions of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Dodge Ram 1500 and Nissan Titan do no provide good protection in side car crashes. The Dodge Ram, equipped with standard side air bags, earned the second-lowest score of "marginal." The Titan and Silverado received the lowest mark of "poor" when tested without optional side air bags. When tested with optional safety equipment, the Titan improved to "marginal" while the Silverado continued to receive a poor rating.
According to the vice-president of IIHS, David Zuby, these pick up trucks perform worse than many vehicles the Institute has evaluated. Passengers in cars are typically more vulnerable in a side crash because their bodies are in line with the fronts of vehicles, but even with the higher seating positions in trucks, these three pickups missed the mark.
The Silverdo's low marks are attributed to a combination of poor side structure and a lack of side air bags. GM retorted by pointing out that the Silverado and Sierra received top scores in the government's front and side-impact tests.
All three manufacturers noted that they pay attention to test results such as this as a part of their effort to continuously improve the overall performance of their vehicles.
