The Prius has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Altima doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Both the Prius and the Altima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Prius is safer than the Nissan Altima:
|
Prius |
Altima |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
31% |
54% |
Neck Stress |
222 lbs. |
280 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
42 lbs. |
110 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
100/151 lbs. |
260/280 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Prius is safer than the Nissan Altima:
|
Prius |
Altima |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
168 |
187 |
Chest Movement |
.8 inches |
1.4 inches |
Abdominal Force |
134 lbs. |
164 lbs. |
Hip Force |
373 lbs. |
511 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
45 G’s |
46 G’s |
Hip Force |
463 lbs. |
544 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
12 inches |
16 inches |
Spine Acceleration |
39 G’s |
42 G’s |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.