Honda Captures 20% of IIHS’s Safest-Vehicle Winners

Honda Motor Co. vehicles account for one in five of the American market's safest 2014 model cars, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

IIHS says 39 vehicles earned its "top safety pick" rating, including 22 that qualified for the ultimate "top safety pick +" designation. Honda and its Acura brand have eight models on the list, six of which also have the "plus" rating.

To make the list, vehicles must score well in an array of front, rear and side crashes, plus and roof strength and headrest tests. They also must deliver an "acceptable" or "good" result in IIHS's year-old small-overlap front crash test.

The new test measures what happens when 25% of the vehicle's front end on the driver's side strikes a fixed barrier at 40 mph. Results replicate what happens when a car clips an oncoming vehicle or pole. The test is more severe that federal crash requirements because a quarter of the vehicle's front-end crash structure must absorb all the energy of the impact.

To earn IIHS's "plus" designation, a car also must offer a system that mitigates front-end crashes by warning the driver of an impending collision or automatically applying the brakes at speeds as high as 25 mph.