In 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revised their method to crash testing and evaluations. After this, it became extremely difficult for vehicles to earn a perfect score in all of the challenges such as the side-pole-impact. For a while and oddly enough, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro was the only vehicle to receive a five star rating for all tests giving the pony car the industry’s sole perfect score. Volvo, a brand that for years has prided themselves for safety innovation, wasn’t one to back down to a challenge. As the 2012 S60 sedan lined up to be brutally evaluated, the car’s namesake may have taken more than one heavy hit but it rolled away with something truly prestigious: the automotive industry’s second perfect score from the NHTSA.
The new test regime includes evaluations previously not seen before 2011. One, the side-pole-impact, simulates a unique incident by using a ramming cart to hit the quarter panel at an angle. The standard side impact crash test uses a cart traveling at a very realistic speed of 38.5 mph while the S60’s front end was hit with 35 mph worth of force. When the dust settled, Volvo made one more big step towards becoming the safety kings.
Source: Autoblog.com
