For many people and professions, driving a pickup truck is essential to their work and lives. While they aren’t using their truck for work, they might be using it for personal use, which may include driving around children and families. In any case, the safety of their pickup truck is crucial. Safety might not be the first thing the average pickup truck consumer thinks of when choosing a model, but having a safe truck is way more important than having the best-looking truck.
In recent rounds of safety tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only one full-size pickup truck out of seven received a rating of “good.” The Ford F-150 was named a Top Safety Pick while other pickup truck models such as the, Chevy Silvarado, GMC Sierra, Toyota Tundra and the Ram 1500 scored in the average to marginal range, with Ram 1500 with the lowest score.
According to ABC News, the test was conducted on 2016 models in a small overlap crash test, which imitates what happens when a truck runs off the road and part of its front end hits a tree or pole at 40 miles per hour. The test also made sure to look at different body styles of pickup trucks, including crew cabs (four doors) and extended cabs (two full front doors, two small back doors and a smaller second row).
The high rating of the F-150 comes from many reinforcements added on their 2016 models after their 2015 models didn’t score as well as hoped. However, they weren’t sure these added reinforcements would hold up as they also became the first automaker to use a lightweight aluminum body on the F-150 compared to a standard steel body. The lightweight aluminum body, added to increase fuel economy, obviously exceeded Ford’s hopes.
Raul Arbelaez, Vice President of the Institute’s Vehicle Research Center was quoted saying, “Ford is leading the way among large pickup manufacturers when it comes to protecting people in a range of crashes and offering technology to warn drivers of imminent frontal crashes.”
If you are in the market for a new pickup truck, seriously take into consideration the safety rating of the vehicle. It may prevent a serious accident, or even save a life.
