How Safe Is the Car You Plan
to Buy? A Tampa Car Accident Injury Attorney Helps You
Decide
If you're about to purchase a new car
in the Tampa, FL area, there are probably a lot of different
factors going through your mind. For example, what kind
of gas mileage will your car get when driving through
rush hour traffic on I-275 and Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa?
How will your new car look when you cruise to Clearwater
Beach? Will the car have plenty of room for your family
when you take them sightseeing in St Petersburg?
All of these issues are important, to
be sure, but a Tampa car accident
injury attorney would probably advise you that the
number one factor you should consider in your vehicle
purchase is safety. Furthermore, selecting a safe vehicle
means you will probably have to do your own research and
not simply take the dealership's word for it when they
say the vehicle you have your eye on is a safe choice.
Gratefully, researching and choosing a safe vehicle boils
down to a few simple points that are easy to handle—crash
safety ratings, safety equipment, learning how to use
your safety equipment properly, and maintaining your vehicle
so that it will perform at its best under all conditions.
To make the job of selecting a safe
vehicle in Tampa and across the country a little easier,
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performs
a multitude of tests to determine the crashworthiness
of various makes and models of vehicles. Before you make
a final decision about which car to buy, check out the
IIHS website at www.iihs.org to learn more about the makes
and models you may want to purchase.
On their website, the IIHS categorizes
their vehicle safety ratings into a variety of areas,
including:
- Crash avoidance—Basic crash avoidance
features include lights for visibility, brakes to slow
you down, and other features that have been around for
years. The latest crash avoidance technology offers
audible warnings that we're about to run into something,
outdoor cameras to show what's around us, and other
cutting-edge innovations.
- Crash worthiness—Larger, heavier
vehicles typically perform better in car accidents since
they have more vehicle structure to absorb the impact,
which means less crash energy absorbed by your body.
This does not mean, however, that you need to drive
a 20-ton dump truck to protect yourself. If you really
want a safe vehicle, it is recommended that you simply
avoid super-small, very lightweight vehicles.
- Crashworthy design—Features that
indicate a crashworthy design include a strong passenger
compartment, crumple zones to absorb impact, seatbelts,
airbags, and head restraints.
- Frontal crashworthiness, side crashworthiness,
and rear crashworthiness—The IIHS spends countless hours
and millions of dollars each year testing various vehicles
for their crashworthiness during a front impact, side
impact, and rear impact. Results of these tests are
made available to the public on the IIHS website.
Whether you're car shopping in Tampa,
Dade City, Carrollwood, or Brandon, it pays to put safety
at the top of your priority list. Thanks to today's long
list of choices available, it is very possible to have
a stylish car with lots of “toys,” and yet still enjoy
the very best in safety features.
If you have any questions about car
safety—or if you would like to speak to an attorney about
car accident injuries you sustained in the Tampa, FL area—please
contact Tampa car accident injury attorney Dale Appell,
P.A. for a free initial consultation about your case.
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