Kia’s renowned 2024 Telluride has garnered the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) most prestigious recognition, securing the Top Safety Pick+ accolade for this popular family SUV. Meanwhile, Kia’s top-selling model, the 2024 Sportage, has earned the Top Safety Pick rating.
This achievement follows the IIHS’s implementation of even more stringent safety standards aimed at enhancing protection for vehicle occupants and pedestrians. Consequently, vehicles must achieve significantly higher scores in crash evaluations.
A ‘Good’ rating is now imperative in the side protection test, while the updated pedestrian front crash prevention test demands at least a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ rating.
The IIHS now conducts these tests both in daylight and darkness to ensure pedestrian protection systems operate effectively at night. Furthermore, the IIHS has enhanced its moderate front overlap test, incorporating a second dummy positioned behind the driver’s seat.
Both the Sportage and Telluride boast an array of safety features, earning praise from the IIHS for providing “the highest level of protection for both vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users.”
Even the base Sportage LX model is equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety features, including forward collision-avoidance technology with detection for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, alongside lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, driver attention warning, and lane-following assist. Rear airbags have been included as part of the updates for the 2024 model year.
The entry-level Telluride LX impresses with similar equipment, augmented by Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Highway Driving Assist 1.5, and Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go functionality.
Steve Center, COO of Kia America, expressed full support for the IIHS’s initiatives to enhance road safety, emphasizing Kia’s dedication to meeting the agency’s rigorous standards and driving continuous advancements in safety.
Despite ongoing efforts to address issues like speeding, distracted driving, and drunk driving, road safety remains a significant concern in the United States, with thousands of annual road fatalities. While considerations such as style and value often influence car purchases, safety remains paramount.
Studies from the IIHS have underscored the correlation between high crash safety scores and lower crash fatality risks, highlighting the critical importance of safety ratings in vehicle selection.
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