Compact cars are not safe for those sitting in the back. Forms – Corriere.it

Great concern for environmental hazards (in part) removes interest in crash safety tests which, on the other hand, remain essential for passengers. That’s why the results of the latest series of tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety caused such a stir Which has been checking cars on US soil since 1995, with its testing protocol similar to that of Euro Ncap. The latest update, which is riskier than the previous in every type of crash test, is from February 2021. Another difference is that on this side of the ocean it is the EU that backs the commitment while IIHS is funded by an insurance union based in the US American.

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The news is that mid-size cars — for small Americans — don’t provide very good protection for rear-seat occupants. Of the models tested (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Crosstrek, Kia Forte and Nissan Sentra), none got a good rating.. The first three are well known on the Italian market, the Civic and Corolla are already present with the latest generation while the Crosstrek is about to debut. As for the Kia Forte, it is built on the same platform as the Ceed and took its style in the restyling. Finally, the Sentra which is a close predecessor to the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail as well as the Renault Megane and Scenic. All five cars tested with the new protocol confirmed good protection in the front seat, with the exception of the Sentra where the risk of neck and head injuries is slightly higher than the others.

Passengers are at risk of slipping below the belt.

But the IIHS notes that the results for rear-seat occupants are far from reassuring. There is a high risk of “submarine” for all five cars: The passenger slipping from under the seat belt, which can cause injury to internal organs. Then there’s the medium or high risk of injury to the head, neck, or chest for the rear dummy in the Kia Forte, Nissan Sentra, and Subaru Crosstrek. Finally, there is a risk of head injury from the rear dummy on a Toyota Corolla as it moved too close to the front seat backrest. “These results highlight one of the main reasons we have updated the medium-overlap frontal crash test,” said David Harkey, IHI President. On all of the subcompact vehicles we tested, the rear dolly slid under the seat beltWhich leads to the belt hanging on the abdomen and increases the risk of internal injuries ».