How Safe Is the 2021 Dodge Ram?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You may be wondering if the 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 is safe. There are so many safety ratings to sort through, it can be hard to know which are important. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent organization which prioritizes consumer safety. Let’s look at what the IIHS thinks of the 2021 Dodge Ram. 

2021 Dodge Ram 1500 | Dodge

The IIHS gave the 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 a Top Safety Pick. A Top Safety Pick is awarded when a vehicle gets good ratings in the driver-side and passenger-side small overlap front ratings and moderate overlap front. A vehicle must also get a good rating in side crash tests, roof strength and head restraint tests. 

Additionally, a vehicle must get a superior or advanced rating for front crass prevention in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. Finally, a Top Safety Pick must have acceptable or good headlights available. 

The IIHS Top Safety Pick applies only to the large, crew cab pickups with optional crash prevention and certain headlights. 

How did the 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 do in the IIHS crash test ratings?

A black 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 with trees in the background.
2021 Dodge Ram 1500 | Dodge

The IIHS measures the front moderate overlap, driver side small overlap, and passenger side small overlap crash worthiness. Overlap testing determines how a car does when part of the front strikes a barrier. 

The IIHS tested a 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 2WD and says that their test results apply to the 2019-2021 model years built after July 2018.

The small overlap front: driver side tests came out mostly good, with the exception of the lower leg/foot. 

For the small overlap front: passenger side tests, the IIHS tested a 2019 Ram1500 Tradesman Crew Cab 2wd. The overall evaluation was good, but the structure and safety cage was only acceptable. 

The passenger injury measures were all good, including the head/neck and chest. The passenger restraints, driver restraints, and dummy kinematics for both were also good. 

Moderate overlap and side crash tests were performed on the 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 2wd. These were all good.

How was the roof strength, head restraints and seats?

You probably don’t even think about roof strength when car shopping. (Or maybe you do, but you probably already know all these crash test ratings.) How about head restraints and seats? It’s important to know how the pickup you’ll buy did in these tests. 

The 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 scored a good result for roof strength. It also got a good score in the overall evaluation for the power leather seat. The Ram 1500 also got a good score in the dynamic rating and the seat/head restraint geometry. 

How did the Dodge Ram 1500 do in front crash prevention?

A red 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 surrounded by dirt piles.
2021 Dodge Ram 1500 | Dodge

The Ram 1500 scored a superior rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle for the overall evaluation with the optional Advanced Safety Group or Level 1 Safety Group. In both the 12 mph and 25 mph IIHS test, the Ram 1500 was able to avoid a collision. 

A whole bunch of trim levels were tested in the vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. The Ram 1500 scored advanced. In the 12 mph crossing child test, the Ram 1500 avoided a collision. When the IIHS conducted the 25 mph test, the speed was reduced by 21%. 

In the crossing adult 12 mph and 25 mph tests, the Ram was able to avoid a collision. It also avoided a collision in the parallel adult 25 mph test. However, in the 37 mph, the Ram 1500 didn’t slow down. A warning was issued 2.4 seconds before the collision. 

The headlight ratings for the four trim levels tested were between moderate and good. The child seat anchors were also marginal. The IIHS found them to be too deep in the seat, difficult to find, and easy to confuse with other hardware.

RELATED: This Crossover Comes Packed With Safety Features For Under $30,000

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What Happens if You Get in an Accident in a Rental Car?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

No matter how hard you try to practice car safety, accidents still happen. There are steps you can take if you find yourself in that situation. But what if you get into an accident in a rental car? Is that any different? Here’s what you should do and who might be responsible for the damages. 

What happens if you get into a car accident in a rental car?

According to Allstate, when you get into an accident in a rental car, the steps you need to take afterward aren’t all that different from the ones you’d take with your own vehicle. The first and most important step is to make sure everyone involved is OK. Then, if anyone needs medical attention, call 911. 

Also, if your disabled car will disrupt the traffic flow, try to move it off the roadway. You don’t want to leave it on the road unless it’s inoperable. When you take care of those steps, you can begin exchanging insurance information with the other driver and taking note of the damages to your rental car. 

According to NerdWallet, you should take photos of the accident scene and the vehicle to document the damage. Jot down what happened to the best of your recollection, and don’t be afraid to check with any witnesses for any other bits of information you might not have been aware of. It would be best if you didn’t discuss who’s at fault while speaking with the other driver. Your insurance companies will sort that out. 

Be sure to contact the rental car company to let an agent know you were involved in an accident. They can give you any instructions regarding your rental vehicle. 

Who pays when you’re at fault in a rental car crash?

If it turns out you’re the one at fault in the accident, you’re responsible for the damages to both vehicles. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to pay the full cost out of your own pocket. Instead, you might be covered, at least partially, in a few different ways. 

The auto insurance covering your own vehicle will cover some aspects of the rental car accident. Check your policy to see what your insurer will cover, or call your agent for an explanation. 

You might be liable for the deductible, but your policy might cover most of it, depending upon your coverage. Even liability insurance will cover a portion of the damages to other vehicles and resulting medical bills. 

Some rental car agencies offer insurance. Though it’s not always needed, it might be worth the money if you think you might be underinsured or uninsured. However, you must purchase that coverage before driving off in a rental vehicle. 

Finally, some credit card issuers offer limited collision coverage for rental cars. If your card has that, it might help pay for some of the costs. 

Who pays when it isn’t your fault?

If the accident wasn’t your fault, the other driver will be responsible for the damages. Their insurance will cover whatever it can, depending upon their policy. However, if they don’t have auto insurance or are underinsured, you could be responsible for the damages to the rental car. 

Before you travel, it would be a good idea to have insurance that covers the costs if you get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough to cover the total damages to your rental car. 

If the accident happens in a no-fault state, be sure to contact your insurance agent to see how you need to proceed, especially if you don’t have no-fault insurance. 

And if you’re with someone who was driving your rental car and they caused the accident, the fault could still lie with you. If the other person is listed on the rental car application as an additional driver, you might not have to worry. But if they’re not, you would be responsible. Neither your insurance company nor the rental car’s insurance would likely pay for damages or medical bills because the driver wasn’t authorized to drive the vehicle. 

All in all, reporting an accident with a rental car isn’t much different from reporting a crash involving your own vehicle. But you have to make sure the rental company knows you were in an accident, and you might have to take a few extra steps depending upon the rental agency’s requirements. 

RELATED: How Do You Know if a Red Light Camera Took Your Picture?

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Here’s How a Formula 1 Race Weekend Works

by Gabrielle DeSantis

A Formula 1 race isn’t just the race. It’s a sometimes dangerous multi-day spectacle, consisting of parades, press conferences, media events, and more. Importantly for the drivers and teams, there’s also three different days where cars are out on track. First, practice sessions, then qualifying, and finally the race. These three sessions are staples of life in F1, and their structure is more complicated than you might think. With that in mind, it’s time to break down each of the sessions to learn what they’re about.

Formula 1 Friday Practice

Daniel Ricciardo’s Mclaren Formula 1 car | Clive Rose via Getty Images

First up, practice. Teams usually arrive a few days before depending on their role within a team. Some teams are massive; Mercedes employs north of 500 people to operate their two cars over the course of a single season. Short of race day, practice sessions are some of the longer ones across the weekend, in order to give teams a chance to test their cars. Oftentimes, you’ll hear these three practice sessions referred to as “FP1”, “FP2”, and “FP3”. FP stands for free practice, by the way.

Though they are among the longer sessions, free practice can vary in both length and number of sessions. The sport’s governing body, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) is constantly experimenting with new structures to keep racing competitive and fresh for fans. This year, sessions are generally about an hour, but last year they were stopped after 90 minutes. Free practice is held Friday, with qualifying up next.

Qualifying

Carlos Saniz' red Ferrari Formula 1 car, pictured from above
Carlos Sainz’ Ferrari F1 car | Clive Rose via Getty Images

Saturday is a qualifying day in Formula 1. Normally, qualifying is a sort of time trial used to decide the starting order for the race. The fastest lap goes in position one (P1) on the grid, and so on down the line. So, three sessions make up qualifying, Q1, Q2, and Q3. Just like practice. Five drivers are eliminated at the end of each session right up until the end of the event.

Recently, the FIA has introduced the new sprint qualifying session. Per F1, these are essentially mini races that take around 25-30 minutes. Just like a normal qualifying session, the finishing order decides the starting grid for Sunday’s race. This is an attempt by the FIA to allow fans to see more racing. Clearly not a bad idea considering most fans have been locked away at home for the last year and change.

Race day

Lance Stroll's green and pink Aston Martin Formula 1 car
Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin leaving the tunnel at Monaco | Valery Hache via Getty Images

Following qualifying is race day. Held on Sundays, races are usually in the morning, though some take place at night. Often, races vary in length. The length of a race is determined by a number of factors, including track length and how long tires will last over the course of a race. Most importantly, cars are held in Parc Ferme until the start of the race. That means that no part of the car can be touched by anyone without express permission from race stewards. After Parc Ferme is lifted, the lights go out and the race is on. Formula 1 weekends can be complex, but hopefully, this guide has helped make them easier to digest.

RELATED: F1 101: What Do You Need to Know About Formula 1?

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Is the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Safe? IIHS Crash Test Ratings

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Is the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 safe? It’s hard to believe car companies’ advertising, as they primarily want to sell cars. That’s why it’s helpful to look at independent safety organizations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Each year the IIHS crash tests a wide variety of vehicles. 

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 | GMC

How are the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 crash test ratings?

The IIHS ratings measure the front moderate overlap, as well as driver and passenger small overlap crash ratings. Overlap testing evaluates how well a car does when part of the front strikes a barrier. Crash test ratings vary based on the trim selected.

The small overlap front: driver side overall crash test rating was good. However, the structure and safety cage crash test rating was only acceptable. Most new vehicles have a safety cage which is supposed to stay strong in head-on collisions without much damage. When this is strong, it’s one of the components that can help keep dangerous things from entering the vehicle and causing harm to its occupants. 

The driver injury measures in the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 are mostly good but the passenger crash test ratings are moderate

Mostly, but not completely. The GMC Sierra 1500 got good ratings in the head/neck, chest, and hip/thigh categories. On the other hand, the lower leg/foot rating is only acceptable. The driver restraints and dummy kinematics get a good rating. 

The IIHS says that some of the improvements that have been made in safety for the driver’s seat in vehicles doesn’t always carry over to the passenger side. The small overlap front: passenger side crash test ratings aren’t as good as the driver side. 

The overall evaluation for the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 is only marginal. Not only that, but the structure and safety cage rating is poor, which is the worst rating a vehicle can get. 

In contrast, the passenger injury measures were all good, except for the lower leg/foot, which was marginal. 

Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics were good for the small overlap front: passenger side.

How about the moderate overlap front and side crash tests?

A red 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 parked on a beach.
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 | Dodge

To conduct the moderate overlap frontal test, the IIHS creates a situation similar to what would happen if two same-size vehicles hit each other at just under 40 mph. Forty percent of the width of the vehicle strikes an aluminum honeycomb barrier on the driver side.

The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 did well in this, getting all good ratings except for the leg/foot, right, which received a marginal rating. Similarly, all side crash tests for the Sierra 1500 were good.

Roof strength, head restraints and seats, oh my!

The roof strength on the GMC Sierra 1500 is good, with a curb weight of 4,818 pounds, a peak force of 22,236 pounds, and a strength-to-weight ratio of 4.62. 

The GMC Sierra 1500’s power leather seat was tested. It received a good overall evaluation, as well as a good dynamic rating. It also got a good in seat/head restraint geometry. 

The front crash prevention: vehicle to vehicle overall evaluation was superior. The GMC Sierra 1500 met the requirements for forward collision warning. It avoided a collision in the 12 mph IIHS test and the 25 mph IIHS test. 

Headlight ratings and child seat anchors weren’t great

The IIHS tested four different headlight variations available on the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. All of them were poor. None of the headlights were curve adaptive and headlight visibility was inadequate in all four tests.  

The child seat anchors were only marginal. They were rated as hard to find and other hardware could be confused as child seat anchors. They were also too deep in the seat. 

Overall, the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 definitely has some limitations. If you’re planning on putting a child seat in it, it could be tricky to make sure you use the right anchors, which is necessary for safety. The poor safety cage rating is definitely a concern. If you’re in the market for a new pickup, there may be better safety options out there.

RELATED: Three Full Size SUVs Loaded With Advanced Safety Systems

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