Small Overlap Crash Test.

The new IIHS small overlap crash test. This crash test is a major thorn in the buttocks of car manufactures. Many vehicles, even those awarded with a great 5 star safety rating, are failing this

test. 

Photo from IIHS click for link

Essentially, IIHS took their normal overlap test, where they crash a car halfway into a deformable barrier. So fifty percent of the front of the automobile would hit this barrier. After research, IIHS claims that moving the car over a smidgen, so that the crash barrier only hits a quarter of the front, represents more real world accidents. Again, the small overlap test is just like the original, but the car is moved over so that the front contacts less of the crash wall.

Why is this a problem if cars are so safe nowadays? Well, because most of the contact is happening on the outside of the car, the crash bypasses all of the vehicle's crumple zones. The entire force of the accident is basically going along the very outside edge of the car. Late model cars are made out of lightweight sheet metal. Long gone are the days where are made out of led and pig iron. All that force is being applied to the sheet metal, wheels, and directly to the "safety cage"that surrounds the cabin. In the regular crash, the force goes through the engine block, firewall, and frame rails. To sum it all up, there used to be a lot more metal between the cabin and the wall with the old tests. 

Some more info from IIHS