Your 2011 model car or truck will have to pass more rigorous crash tests to earn a 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).The new rating system will now evaluate side pole crash testing, crash prevention-technologies, and it will use female crash test dummies to simulate crash scenarios involving women.Because so many vehicles reached the highest rating under the old criteria, not all previous 5-star rated vehicles will remain at the highest crash test rating.
For 2011, NHTSA will rate 24 passenger cars, 20 sport utility vehicles, two vans and nine pickups on frontal crash, side crash, and rollover resistance.Another change to the 2011 crash test safety rating is the Overall Vehicle Score, which will combine the results of the frontal crash test, side crash tests and rollover resistance tests.