When it comes to purchasing new vehicles, consumers should do everything in their power to focus solely on the best and most reliable vehicles not only because of comfort, but also because of safety.

Unfortunately for many consumers, cars are being recalled at a much higher rate than ever before, but the newer cars are also being developed with a greater number of safety features as well. When picking a new car, consumers should take to heart the recommendations made by experts in the area of car safety. According to a series of news reports, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently released a list with the top safest vehicles in America for 2015. This new list could help consumers who are considering purchasing a new car this year.

The reports indicate that at least 71 models earned the two top awards presented by the IIHS. Vehicles with the Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick awards should be considered some of the safest and consumers should pay close attention to the details concerning the tests and how well the vehicles fared before making a decision as to what car to choose to drive next.

Last year, the IIHS gave 39 models the top two awards. The greater number this year shows that automakers are working harder to make sure their vehicles are safer by focusing on developing car safety before other features. This new approach to car safety will help consumers by giving them more options when it comes to car safety tech that will both keep them protected in a crash and help them to prevent accidents.

According to IIHS, the 2015 Honda CR-V and the Toyota Prius v were picked as both Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Picks. Both vehicles were praised and cited by the insurance group as examples of cars that have improved greatly since the last crash tests performed last year.

Models that earn the top awards must earn either a good or acceptable rating in one of the toughest crash tests performed by the IIHS, the small overlap front test. This particular test replicates an accident involving a vehicle crashing into another vehicle or object by hitting its front corner against it. The car safety test serves to verify whether the car’s structure is sturdy enough to make sure that the driver is safe in the event of the collision.

Vehicles that earn the highest scores also fare well in other important tests such as the roof strength, side protection, and head restraint tests. Hopefully, more automakers like Toyota and Honda are learning from their past mistakes so their vehicles are safer than ever and drivers are also more protected than ever. For more on the latest list of safest cars from the IIHS, follow this link.