US safety tests aren't very good in comparison to the rest of the world. In particular, US car safety tests don't emphasize the safety of pedestrians and cyclists to the same extent as the European and Australian test programs do:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2019/10/20/starflatio...

yes, that is what the article is about, but the post i was replying to was speculating that it would be less safe for occupants

Please don't post unsubstantive or flamebait comments here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

It sounds like a difference in priorities and not an indictment on the tests.

From the article which I assume you didn't read:

"But the once groundbreaking program is now out of date and has not kept pace with safety innovations and advances, and other countries, including Japan and many in Europe, have far surpassed the U.S., motor vehicle safety experts say"

Cool, however, it seems it's more complicated than the article lets on. This article[0] shows that cars that meet US safety standards perform better in rollover situations while EU vehicles perform better in frontal collisions.

[0] https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/saf...

We also have IIHS testing which, while unofficial, has always been at the forefront of crash testing, and is oft cited and very influential in the US.

and remember other trucks might have crumple zones, but also cast iron engine blocks and spear-like frame rails and so forth.

I think we have to wait for crash tests.

(I am unaware if trucks have the same standards for crash testing)