Honda Accord performed best in crash tests involving 6 midsized cars, IIHS study shows

The Honda Accord was found to have performed better than six other midsized cars in an updated crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute found.

The nonprofit organization announced Tuesday it had tested seven midsized cars in an updated moderate overlap front crash test, focusing on rear-seat protection.

Of the cars tested, the Honda Accord received a "good" rating, the highest in the group.

The Subaru Outback was rated "acceptable," the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry were rated "marginal" and the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5 and Volkswagen Jetta were "poor," the lowest rating.

All seven of the cars had good protection in the front seat, according to the test, although measurements taken "indicated a slightly higher risk of injuries to the right leg or foot of the driver" in the Honda Accord.

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Back seat remains safest place for children

“In most of the midsize cars we tested, the rear dummy slid forward, or ‘submarined,’ beneath the lap belt, causing it to ride up from the pelvis onto the abdomen and increasing the risk of internal injuries,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a release. “In the three poor-rated vehicles, measurements taken from the rear dummy also indicated likely injuries to the head or neck as well as to the chest.”

The test was launched last year, after research showed newer vehicles had a higher risk of injury for people wearing seatbelts in the back rather over people wearing seatbelts sitting in the front. It added a dummy the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child in the back seat behind the driver, who is the size of an adult man.

The back seat has not become less safe, according to the research, rather the front seats have become even more safe with improved airbags and seatbelts. Even with the new research, the back still remains the safest place for children, the IIHS said, who can be injured by an inflating front airbag.