Compared with 2017, only about half as many models earned a coveted designation as an I.I.H.S. Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus when the institute released its list on Thursday.Sixty-two vehicles have so far earned one of those two designations for 2018, down from 120 in 2017 - a result of several changes to the criteria. The insurance industry-funded institute tightened a measurement of the effectiveness of headlights and added a collision test intended to ensure that front passengers are protected like their counterparts behind the wheel.The new tests cost certain models from some automakers - including General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and even Volvo - the chance to use one of the I.I.H.S. designations, which have become an important marketing tool and pushed companies to improve their performance on the institute's tests.
