The front seats of a pickup truck are the safest place on the vehicle to be in the event of a collision.

That's according to a new crash test designed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to evaluate rear-seat passenger safety. Four out of 5 compact pickup trucks in the study earned substandard ratings. Just one truck, the 2022-2023 Nissan Frontier, clinched an "acceptable" rating. 

"All these things tell us that the rear seat belts need improvement," IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement. A high risk of head and chest injuries was behind the majority of the disappointing safety ratings.

The 2022-2023 Jeep Gladiator, 2022-2023 Toyota Tacoma, and 2022 Chevrolet Colorado all earned "poor" ratings, while the 2022-2023 Ford Ranger received a score of "marginal," the second-lowest safety rating. The trucks used in the study were crew cab models, which have full-sized back seats and the most rear passenger room of any of the cab styles.

All of the vehicles underwent an updated "moderate overlap" crash test, where two cars collide head-on at 40 mph. The test represents what would happen if a vehicle drifted across a roadway's centerline, Consumer Reports said.

First of its kind

IHS' updated safety test is the first of its kind to include a crash dummy in a vehicle's second row, with many smaller vehicles struggling to earn high marks in testing, the consumer advocacy publication reported. 

However, the test results could prompt automakers to spend more time developing enhanced back-seat safety features, according to Emily Thomas, Consumer Reports' manager for auto safety.

"More rigorous tests like these often lead automakers to make changes that improve safety for vehicle occupants," Thomas told Consumer Reports. 

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• Car Crash
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• Chevrolet
• Toyota