The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given its top safety rating to 66 vehicles for the 2001 model year. Last year, it gave 27 vehicles its top rating.
Some safety equipment, intended to avoid or mitigate car and truck accidents, is now standard on 2011 models. Electronic stability control and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on over 90 percent of 2011 cars and SUVs. These standard safety features more then double the vehicle receiving the top safety rating in 2011.
To the extent the safety features are standard equipment on 2011 models, New Mexico drivers are now driving safer vehicles. Safety has come a long way in the last 40 years. Current models are unlike the vehicle described by Ralph Nader in his classic; Unsafe at any speed. New Mexico drivers and passengers are now safer at all speeds. Hopefully such safety measures will result in a decrease of New Mexico car accident cases.