No Fog Lights? No Worries. Mazda Cited for Good Headlights as 5 Models End Up as Top Safety Picks

When Mazda first came out with the all-new Mazda3 and refreshed Mazda6, one of the complaints lashed out on these two vehicles is the lack of front fog lights. Though engineers did manage to tuck the function into the headlights, it still was a concern for those who’re used to seeing additional set of driving lights mounted closer to the ground.

Well, worry no more, because the U.S.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) confirmed what Mazda was telling everyone all along: their headlights are okay. True enough, the 2020 Mazda3, Mazda6, and even the CX-3, and CX-5 were awarded with the highest Top Safety Pick+ award. Meanwhile, the Mazda’s CX-9 earns an additional Top Safety Pick for 2020 (when equipped with the ALH headlights).

This means Mazda earned more awards than any other automaker from IIHS, beating even the likes of safety-minded Subaru and Volvo.

To qualify for the 2020 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards, Mazda vehicles earned good ratings in each of the IIHS’s six crashworthiness evaluations: moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints & seats. Mazda vehicles also earned advanced or superior ratings for front crash prevention in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. Additionally, Mazda achieved good or acceptable headlight ratings, with the “plus” awarded to its models that come exclusively with good or acceptable rated headlights (this discounts the locally-speced 2020 CX-3 which comes with just halogen headlights).

Also helping Mazda achieve this high safety rating is its umbrella of advanced driver assist technologies that make use of milliwave radars and cameras. Called i-Activsense, it’s available in certain Mazda3, CX-30, and CX-8 models in the Philippines.

They include active safety technologies that support safer driving by helping the driver to recognize potential hazards, and pre-crash safety technologies which help to avert collisions or reduce their severity in situations where they cannot be avoided. These technologies include Smart City Brake Support, Smart Brake Support with Collision Warning, Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning System with Lane-Keep Assist, Driver Attention Alert, High Beam Control, and Adaptive Front-Lighting System.