The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has unveiled a new crash testing methodology in dramatic fashion. The new test is designed to simulate the effects of hitting a tree or pole at 40 miles per hour, but rather than striking the object dead-on, the IIHS delivers a more glancing blow that only impacts a quarter of the car’s front end. These types of collisions are particularly dangerous, as the impact will often miss the energy-absorbing structures built into the car’s frame.

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