2019 Mazda 3 Earns Insurance Organization’s ‘Top Safety Pick’ Award

The United States’ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced that the 2019 Mazda 3 hatchback and sedan have both earned its ‘Top Safety Pick’ awards. The hatchback earns the award with standard equipment, while the sedan qualifies when equipped with optional front crash prevention technology.

To qualify as a 2019 Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It also needs an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating.

The Mazda 3, redesigned for the 2019 model year, was rated for the first time in the newest IIHS crash test configuration–the passenger-side small overlap front test. Both the hatchback and sedan earned good ratings in this test.

Standard in the 2019 Mazda3 hatchback, and all Select, Preferred, and Premium packages for the sedan–at least for the United Stats–is Mazda’s superior-rated front crash prevention system, Smart Brake Support, which detects and responds to vehicles and pedestrians. The system avoided collisions in 12 mph (19 kph) and 25 mph (40 kph) IIHS track tests. Also built-in is Mazda’s prominent line up of Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, and Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go, automatic on/off LED headlights with High Beam Control, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. A new feature, Driver Attention Alert, has also been added. This system alerts the driver when it detects driver fatigue or decreased attentiveness.

“Mazda constantly has an eye on the future, and we are dedicated to providing our drivers with advanced vehicles that build driver confidence,” said Mazda North American Operations President Jeff Guyton. “This IIHS recognition is a testament to the efficacy of Mazda’s Proactive Safety Philosophy and we will continue to strive to meet the highest safety standards.”

The IIHS is an independent, non-governmental safety-testing organization, funded by the insurance industry.