Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) News

Science, Enforcement Lag as Car Accidents, Claims Rise in Legal Cannabis States

Car crashes in the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have soared as law enforcement and regulators struggle to define driving high, let alone determine how to fight it. Colorado, Oregon, and Washington saw a combined 5.2% increase in …

Vehicles’ Pedestrian Warning Systems Need Improvement, Says IIHS

The performance of modern pedestrian detection systems varies widely between carmakers, with high-end luxury brands generally faring better and other models failing to recognize pedestrians altogether, according to a study released on Tuesday by a U.S. insurance research group. The …

Insurance Highway Institute Gives Tesla’s Model 3 Top Safety Rating

Tesla Inc.’s Model 3 electric sedan has earned the top safety rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), becoming the first Tesla to do so. The IIHS has given the Model 3 its highest rating, top safety pick+. …

Tesla’s Autopilot System Confuses Drivers About Extent of Automation: Safety Report

Automakers including Tesla Inc. are stoking confusion among motorists by choosing names for their automated-driving systems that wrongly suggest they’re more capable than is actually the case, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Almost half of respondents to …

Insurance Institute Calls for Rear Seat Safety Upgrades

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says in a new report that safer restraint systems are needed for the back seats of cars. The study finds that rear-seat safety has not kept pace with front-seat safety and it has been …

How Cell Phone Use While Driving Is Changing

Manipulating a cellphone was a contributing factor in more than 800 crash deaths on U.S. roads during 2017 amid a marked increase in the percentage of drivers observed interacting with cellphones, new research by the insurance institute for highway safety …

Data Show Car Accidents Up in States That First Legalized Marijuana

Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and …

U.S. Moves to Permit Euro-Style, Low-Glare Headlights

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is moving to allow advanced headlights known as “adaptive driving beams” to be used in vehicles on U.S. roads that could help prevent nighttime crashes. The agency said it was acting in …

IIHS Tests Expose Risks of Semi-Autonomous Driving Systems

Cars and trucks with electronic driver assist systems may not see stopped vehicles and could even steer you into a crash if you’re not paying attention, an insurance industry group warns. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a paper …

This Month and Today In Particular Are Deadliest for Auto Crashes

It’s not Super Bowl Sunday or even New Year’s Eve that makes for the most lethal day on U.S. highways. It’s Aug. 2. Today, Thursday Aug. 2, is when, on average, car wrecks are likely to kill more Americans than …