Toyota Tundra
engineers and product managers are likely breathing a big sigh of
relief after receiving the highest crash test rating of 'Good' from
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In March there was much
surprise that the Toyota Tundra only scored a four star
safety rating in government crash tests.
IIHS tested
two 2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cabs, one a 4x2 and the other a 4x4,
in frontal offset crash tests.
The Institute's
test primarily assesses how well a vehicle's front-end crush zone absorbs
energy during a crash and, in turn, how well the occupant compartment,
or safety cage, holds together. If the compartment remains largely
intact, then the restraint systems can control the motion of the crash
test dummy and help keep injury measures low.
An
overall score was assigned based on crash test results in three areas:
structural performance, injury measures, and restraints/dummy kinematics.
Scores are qualified as 'G' for good, the highest rating, 'A' for average,
or 'P' for poor.
Structure / Safety Cage
Injury Measures
Restraints / Dummy Kinematics
Head/neck
Chest
Leg,
Left
Leg,
Right
For structural
performance, the amount and pattern of intrusion into the occupant
compartment during the offset test is measured. This assessment indicates
how well the front-end crush zone managed the crash energy and how
well the safety cage limited intrusion into the driver space. Intrusion
is measured at 9 places in the driver seating area by comparing the
precrash and postcrash positions of these 9 points.
Injury measures
for the head and neck, chest, and left and right legs and feet are
used to determine the likelihood that a driver would have sustained
injury to various body regions.
Restraints
and dummy kinematics are measured to see how the vehicle's safety belts,
airbags, steering columns, head restraints, and other aspects of restraint
systems interact to control dummy movement.
