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Passengers In Small SUVs May Be At Higher Risk In Collisions

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Passengers may not be getting the same safety protection in some small SUVs as drivers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says new crash tests show there may be a big gap in safety.

Madeline Poldrugovaz bought her Honda CR-V based on its safety record. She had no idea it might be unsafe for her passengers.

"I take a lot of people shopping. Your know, my friends," Poldrugovaz said.

But new crash tests conducted by the IIHS show a number of small SUVs - including the Honda-CRV- may not offer the same protections to passengers as they do drivers in certain types of frontal crashes.

Only one - the 2016 Hyundai Tucson passed with a grade of "Good" in crash tests involving the right corner of the vehicle.

The 2015 Toyota RAV4 received the only "Poor" grade.

The institute says safety structures on the driver's side are not always the same on the passenger's side.

IIHS senior research engineer Becky Mueller said, "We want them to provide the same protection to the passenger side as they did the driver."

This is one of the first times the institute conducted passenger side testing. They did crash tests on seven types of small SUVs. The other SUVs tested were the 2015 Buick Encore and Mazda CX-5, and the 2014 Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester.

More than 1,600 passengers died in frontal crashes in 2014.

Poldrugovaz hopes the findings prompt change.

"I am a very careful driver," Poldrugovaz said. "Now I am going to be very conscious of that, which is not a good way to drive."

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