Clark, Perdue & List's Blog

If you are looking to purchase a new or used motor vehicle, you probably want to know how well the vehicle will protect you and your family in a collision. You may also want to know about the vehicle's safety features -- features designed to prevent collisions from occurring. There are several easy-to-use websites where consumers can find motor vehicle safety information. Below are a couple of sites to get you started.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a nonprofit organization that tests the "crashworthiness" of motor vehicles. The Institute publishes the results of its tests and provides consumers with "Top Safety Picks" for each class of motor vehicle (e.g., small, midsize) and ratings for all of the vehicles that it has tested. The Institute's website is http://www.iihs.org/.

Consumer Reports is also a nonprofit organization that tests motor vehicles and provides consumers with the results. In order to obtain detailed information on a specific model, you need to subscribe to ConsumerReports.org. The cost is determined by the subscription that you select. However, you may be able to find enough free information simply by navigating the website. Here is the link: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/index.htm.

Results of the federal government's crash testing is available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, http://www.safercar.gov/. You can search by make and model, and the information is free.

Of course, you may also find a wealth of information by googling the make and model of the vehicle that you are interested in purchasing. Your search results may include news articles, consumer reviews, or safety information from an unexpected source.