By Joseph Szczesny

 Saab has had its share of problems lately and production of the its Swedish-built models aren't completely secured yet but the struggling automaker did receive some good news this week. The Saab 9-5 Sedan earned the “Top Safety Pick,” the highest rating for crashworthiness in the United States today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS, www.iihs.org), a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers in the US. IIHS performs full tests for front impact (offset) and side impact crashes. Seat/head restraints also undergo a simulated rear impact conducted on a sled to assess protection against whiplash injuries and the roof structure tested to assess vehicle rollover protection. “We are very pleased with the 9-5’s performance. IIHS is an independent body and the results of their tests are easily accessible and objective information for car buyers. It is therefore important for us to achieve good results in this type of testing,” says Per Lenhoff, Head of Safety Development at Saab Automobile.  Vehicles are rated as "Good", "Acceptable", "Marginal" or "Poor" in the various categories. To receive the "Top Safety Pick" award, cars must achieve the highest rating in all four categories and should also be fitted with electronic stability control. Lenhoff said Saab's Real-Life Safety philosophy is based on the fact that no collision is ever the same. Saab safety engineers continuously study how Saab cars behave in real collisions on public roads. The results of these studies are the basis for continued development of both design and safety solutions in cars as well as of Saab's in-house crash testing methods. The Saab 9-5 Sedan has already received the highest rating, five stars, in the crash tests conducted by the European New Car Assessment Programme, EuroNCAP