0 [% o/ l Y6 O/ T6 h, }/ yHow does NHTSA perform the frontal crash rating and how are vehicles rated? 5 {2 A" B' L' I# X+ f5 ]! o/ E: b- s7 u7 y4 _: Y
For frontal crash ratings, crash-rating dummies representing an average-sized adult are placed in driver and front passenger seats and secured with the vehicle's seat belts. Vehicles are crashed into a fixed barrier at 35 miles per hour (mph), which is equivalent to a head-on collision between two similar vehicles each moving at 35 mph. Since the rating reflects a crash between two similar vehicles, make sure you compare vehicles from the same weight class, plus or minus 250 lbs., when looking at frontal crash star ratings.