Safety has been Toyota’s number one priority since the beginning. Over time, they’ve been among the first to fully integrate cutting edge safety features as standard equipment. Maybe that’s why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, one of the nation’s top auto safety benchmarks, continuously recognizes Toyota. Your Pennsylvania Toyota dealership takes you through what it means to be a TSP or TSP+.
IIHS
For those not familiar, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a non-profit organization set up in the late 1950s to test and evaluate vehicles for safety. Based out of Arlington, Virginia, and funded by insurance companies, the IIHS recommendations are held at the same level as the federal government’s. In fact, they have pioneered crash testing to more accurately reflect real crash conditions.
TSP
To become a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle has to receive a score of “good” (the highest IIHS gives) in all of the major safety areas: moderate overlap (frontal collision), side impact, roof strength, and how it protects the head in an accident.
For example, the 2015 Avalon and RAV4 have consistently been found to offer superior protection for passengers in these areas and have done well in what’s called the “small overlap front test,” replicating a driver corner to driver corner front collision.
TSP+
Recently, IIHS raised the bar with the TSP+. For this, a vehicle has to meet all the criteria for a TSP, but must also be equipped with effective crash prevention technologies like brake assist among others.
For instance, the Toyota Highlander, Prius, Prius v, Sienna, and Camry have all been awarded this top honor.
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