What's Your Driving School's Vehicles Safety Rating?

One of the most important factors to consider a driving school is what is your driving schools vehicle safety rating? You can look up a vehicles safety rating on the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration's website. Reports include crash test ratings and safety recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crash test data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), performance ratings from J.D. Power, reliability ratings from Indentifix and ownership costs from IntelliChoice. These tests and reliability ratings are searchable by make, model and year.

Both the NHTSA and IIHS only run crash tests on vehicles that have had significant safety updates. So if you can’t find your vehicle’s information search for an older year of that model.

Chances are that if a driving school isn't advertising their fleet or their vehicles safety rating its because they don't know or don't want you to know. Nola Driving Institute only uses Hondas. All our cars have a 5-Star Safety Rating.

Click Here for Safety Rating of our Fleet:

2019 Honda Insight

2016 Honda Civic Sedan

2014 Honda Civic Coupe

2013 Honda Civic Sedan

Take a look below in what a difference just one star less can make.

2019 Honda Insight

Safety: NHTSA Crash Test Results

The NHTSA rates vehicles based on their crash worthiness and rollover safety, which takes airbags, crash prevention, and other safety technology into consideration. The NHTSA runs three different crash tests: full-width frontal crash test, side impact crash test and rollover resistance. NHTSA bases their 5-star ratings on the percent chance of serious injury to the head or chest, with five stars being the least, and one being the highest. The percent chance of injury varies with each test; the 5-star ratings are adjusted accordingly.

Recently the NHSTA has adjusted their ratings scale based on new safety technologies available. These stricter safety ratings are applicable to 2011 models and beyond.

Frontal Crash Test

The frontal crash test assesses how well the safety features and restraints protect the occupants from severe injury (meaning an injury requiring immediate hospitalization) in a head-on collision when the front of the vehicle hits a fixed barrier at 35 miles per hour (equivalent of two cars colliding at 35 mph).

5 Stars = 10 percent or less chance of injury 4 Stars = 11-20 percent chance of injury 3 Stars = 21-35 percent chance of injury 2 Stars = 36-45 percent chance of injury 1 Star = 46 percent or greater chance of injury

Side Impact Test

The side-impact test evaluates the chances of a severe chest injury when one side of the vehicle is hit by a fixed barrier at just under 40 miles per hour (equivalent to hitting a moving car traveling the same speed).

5 Stars = 5 percent or less chance of injury 4 Stars = 6-10 percent chance of injury 3 Stars = 11-20 percent chance of injury 2 Stars = 21-25 percent chance of injury 1 Star = 26 percent or greater chance of injury

Rollover Resistance Test

The rollover resistance test examines the risk of rolling over in a single vehicle crash based on two factors: statistical and dynamic. The statistical test is based on a mathematical equation on weight, width and center of gravity to determine the likelihood of rolling over. In 2004 the NHTSA started doing dynamic tests: simulated rollover tests.  The dynamic test evaluates a weighted vehicle (a five passenger load and a full tank of gas) simulating an emergency lane change and measures the tire movement, if two of the tires lift 2 inches or more off the ground simultaneously, it has “tipped up”, which is the precursor to rolling over.

5 Stars = 10 percent or less risk of rollover 4 Stars = 10-20 percent risk of rollover 3 Stars = 20-30 percent risk of rollover 2 Stars = 30-40 percent risk of rollover 1 Star = 40 percent or greater risk of rollover