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Insurance & Safety
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Which models are safest? Car insurance, safety ratings and crash test resources
INSURANCE
Proceed with caution before choosing your vehicle. If it has a bad auto insurance record, it could cost you. This publication from the Insurance Bureau of Canada illustrates how theft, collision and other claims affect the cost of your car insurance. It includes lists of the best and worst vehicles for collision, comprehensive and theft costs for all types of vehicles in Canada.
What to do if your car insurance is cancelled; Where to find theft and collision claim records for your vehicle; How to find the most satisfying car insurance companies to deal with.
The Consumers' Association of Canada released the Ontario results of a national study on auto insurance rates on July 19, 2005. The study also provides a detailed comparison of car insurance rates between Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
If you lend your car in Ontario, you lend your car insurance, according to Lee Romanov, president of an insurance rate comparison service based in Toronto. Other drivers of your vehicle can seriously affect your auto insurance rates. Their tickets are their problem, but their accidents are your problem.
Can you believe it could cost more to insure a Honda Civic than a new Hummer? Insider info on car insurance.
SAFETY
Many economical 2005 and 2006 compacts and subcompacts boast a wealth of safety features to protect their occupants.
The U.S.-based IIHS is an independent, nonprofit, research and communications organization funded by auto insurance companies. A major part of IIHS' current testing program is Crashworthiness Evaluations of new passenger vehicles. The principal component of each vehicle's rating is performance in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test. This test is a good measure of a vehicle's structural design. The website also features results of low-speed (bumper) crash tests, side-impact tests and head restraint tests.
Car crashes are the number one cause of death for Canadian children. However, a properly installed car seat can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by as much as 75%.
NHTSA is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) was initiated with the primary purpose of providing consumers with a measure of the relative safety potential of vehicles in frontal crashes. NCAP supplies frontal- and side- crash test results.
Crashtest.com is a private, advertising based site providing detailed charts that let you search for summary crash test information by vehicle type.
The foundation is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries by preventing traffic crashes. Since 1947, it has funded over 90 research projects designed to discover the causes of traffic crashes. The research has been used to develop dozens of focused, high-impact educational materials for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users.
Two key safety issues affect pickup trucks because of their high centre of gravity and the fact that different regulations apply to them: rollovers and crash safety. Learn more here.
