Inside the IIHS' Crash Tests: Video

March 5, 2015

You’re probably familiar with how front, side and rear crash tests work, but what about the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s newest and toughest test — the frontal small-overlap evaluation? Small-overlap crashes account for nearly a quarter of frontal crashes that result in serious or fatal injury, the agency reports. The test is meant to mimic when a vehicle’s driver-side front end crashes into a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph … but what does that look like and how does it affect the occupants inside? Check out the video above for a breakdown of the crash and a look inside the different types of dummies that IIHS studies. (embed video above)

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News Editor

Jennifer Geiger

Hellbent on finding a journalism job after earning an English degree from DePaul University, I stumbled into the automotive industry in 2003 — much to the delight of my Corvette-obsessed dad. After working as an editor at Consumer Guide Automotive for several years, I joined Cars.com in 2011 and am currently an expert reviewer, certified car-seat technician and mom of three. I wear a lot of hats — many of them while driving a minivan. My first car was a 1994 Mercury Tracer, and I currently drive a 2012 Mazda5.

Inside the IIHS' Crash Tests: Video

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