What vehicles are the top safety picks for 2011? To check out a specific 2011 vehicle before you buy - click on TOP SAFETY PICKS 2011   

The 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 earned the “Top Safety Pick” award.  The redesigned Dodge Charger and twin Chrysler 300 earned the Institute's top safety accolade for the first time after achieving good ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear impact protection. The Top Safety Pick designation recognizes the vehicles that afford the best overall crash protection. In addition to good crash test ratings, winners must have electronic stability control (ESC), an important crash-avoidance feature, which is standard on the Charger and 300.

To determine crashworthiness and how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. The ratings are based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. To earn Top Safety Pick for 2011 a vehicle must have good ratings in all four Institute tests. In addition, the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control.

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety