34 Vehicles Get Top IIHS Honor

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced the winners of its 2008 Top Safety Picks, and the number has more than doubled since last year, up to 34 this year. The gains came mostly thanks to adjustments from automakers for better crash-test performance. In order to win a Top Safety Pick designation, vehicles had to earn the highest rating possible in front, side and rear crash testing, while also coming equipped with an electronic stability system.

Because they make adjustments in braking and steering, stability systems helps avoid crashes from happening in the first place. IIHS estimates that U.S. drivers would avoid 10,000 fatal crashes each year if every vehicle on the road were equipped with a stability system. An additional 26 vehicles would have won the award if they had included better designs for seat and head restraints, which led to poor results in rear-impact simulations. Lists of both the winners and the just-missed can be found below.