Most new pickups fail to protect passengers in crashes

Thanks to advances in vehicle safety technology, New Jersey pickup truck drivers are less likely to be injured in a crash than ever before. However, a recent study finds that truck passengers aren’t as lucky.

Researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety discovered that most 2018 two-row pickup trucks don’t perform well during front-right corner collisions, and this puts passengers at risk. According to the study, the Toyota Tundra does the worst job of protecting passengers, earning the vehicle a “poor” rating from the institute. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, GMC Sierra 1500 and Nissan Frontier scored “marginal” ratings for their collision performance, and the Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma received “acceptable” ratings. Finally, the Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Nissan Titan received “good” ratings. Almost all the pickups got “good” ratings for protecting drivers in a crash. However, the Tundra and Frontier only received “marginal” scores.

IIHS began driver-side front impact testing in 2012, but it didn’t start testing passenger-side collisions until 2017. The institute believes that car manufacturers must do a better job of protecting the passengers who ride in their vehicles.

A personal injury attorney might be able to help the victim of a pickup crash. By obtaining police reports, crash scene evidence and witness testimony, it may be possible to prove that the other driver was legally liable for the accident. This could lead to an insurance settlement that covers current and future medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property loss and a variety of other damages. A victim could learn more about their legal options by contacting a personal injury law firm for advice.

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