The Insurance Institute for Highway Safey (IIHS) has released the results of a new study that demonstrate that, while automakers have achieved great success in protecting drivers in crashes, they have to some work to do when it comes to saving passengers. In fact, of the seven SUVs tested for passenger-side "small overlap" collisions, only one received a "good" rating, while the others ranged from "poor" to "adequate."

The small overlap test is already common practice for driver-side collisions. Also (or more commonly) known as the offset head-on crash, this is what happens when, for example, two vehicles crash with only the left sides coming into contact with each other, or when a vehicle strikes a pole or a tree. The study explains,

IIHS introduced the small overlap test in 2012, following the success of the moderate overlap front test in spurring automakers to make improvements. While the moderate overlap test involves 40 percent of the width of the vehicle, the small overlap test involves just 25 percent. It is designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole.

Small overlap crashes pose a challenge because they bypass a typical vehicle's main front structure. Since the test was introduced, 13 manufacturers have made structural changes to 97 vehicles. Of these, nearly three-quarters earned a good rating after the changes.

The sole "good" performer of the new passenger-side test was the 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The worst perfomer was the 2014 Toyata RAV4, earning a "poor," followed by the 2014 Nissan Rogue and 2014 Subaru Forester, which dazzled with "marginal" ratings. The 2015 Mazda CX-5, 2015 Honda CR-V, and 2015 Buick Encore were all rated "adequate." 

The IIHS says that more than 1,600 right-front passengers died in frontal crashes in 2014, so adding the passenger-side small overlap test to overall safety criteria would add a significant dimension to the safety information available for vehicles. Given the results of the new test, the IIHS is heavily considering doing just that. If they do, automakers will need to make some changes if they don't want to see a major dip in their safety ratings.