Weaker federal rules for commercial vehicles leave IIHS crash avoidance ratings as a key spur for fleet buyers and automakers
Heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans trail passenger cars on front crash prevention, according to the first commercial vehicle crash avoidance ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 alone scored good for avoiding other vehicles, while the Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 and Rivian RCV-Delivery 500 led on pedestrian protection.
Crashes involving light vans and medium- or heavy-duty vehicles killed 6,215 people in the US in 2024, 16% of all road deaths. Many passenger car standards, including airbag rules, do not cover these vehicles, giving independent ratings added weight with fleet buyers and manufacturers.
“These results are a wake-up call for commercial vehicle makers,” David Harkey, President of IIHS, said. “Front crash prevention is especially important for these larger, heavier vans and trucks because of the danger they pose to other road users.”
The Chevrolet Express 2500 and GMC Savana 2500 were rated poor in both tests, as automatic emergency braking is unavailable on either. Motorcycle targets proved hardest, with several systems neither warning nor braking in most trials, while others braked well but lost marks for late alerts.
Pedestrian results were stronger, though the acceptable-rated Ford F-350 and Ram 3500 found a child in daylight harder to detect than an adult at night. IIHS links this to tall front ends and sensors mounted near the rear-view mirror, which sometimes lost the child dummy at close range.
Source: IIHS
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
