When it comes to automotive safety, few recognitions carry as much weight as those from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For 2026, Mazda has set a new benchmark, earning an impressive eight Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) awards. This achievement reflects not just incremental improvements, but a deeply embedded safety philosophy that shapes every vehicle in Mazda’s lineup.
Keep reading to get insights from Jennifer Morrison, Mazda’s Director of Vehicle Safety Strategy, along with what it means for drivers and the broader automotive industry.
Why Mazda Earned Eight IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards in 2026
JerseyFashionista: What factors contributed most to Mazda earning eight IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2026?
Jennifer Morrison:
“At Mazda, we treat safety as a core engineering discipline, not an add-on. Earning eight TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards reflects years of work to integrate ever-improving crashworthiness and crash-avoidance into our vehicles. For 2026, what made the difference was every vehicle we tested earning the top, Good rating in IIHS’s newest crash test, the updated moderate front overlap test that now integrates rear occupant protection, plus being able to achieve Acceptable ratings in IIHS’s new vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance tests that now incorporate truck, car, and motorcycle targets at higher speeds. It’s our dual strength in crash avoidance and occupant protection, built in as core and running throughout our model line-up, that is showing up in independent evaluations like IIHS.”
More Reading: 2026 Mazda CX-5: New Design, Advanced Safety, and Next-Gen Technology
Key Safety Technologies That Made the Difference
JerseyFashionista: What safety technologies or design changes helped Mazda vehicles meet the stricter 2026 criteria?
Jennifer Morrison:
“The 2026 IIHS criteria raised the bar in several areas – particularly in rear occupant protection and pedestrian detection. Some of the specifics that helped:
- Integrating rear-seat pretensioners and load limiters, which help keep occupants properly positioned during a crash and help reduce injury risk by managing chest forces and reducing the likelihood of submarining under the lap belt, which can increase the risk of abdominal injury.
- Advancing our pedestrian detection with automatic emergency braking (AEB). All tested Mazda vehicles earned Good ratings in both day and night pedestrian evaluations thanks to improved low-light front sensing cameras and more responsive detection and braking software.”
Is Mazda Ahead of Industry Safety Trends?
JerseyFashionista: Would you say that we are seeing a broader industry shift toward stricter safety standards, or is Mazda ahead of the curve?
Jennifer Morrison:
“I think it’s both. The industry is absolutely moving toward more demanding safety expectations, and organizations like IIHS help drive that progress. But Mazda has always punched above its weight in safety innovation. We tend to adopt higher standards earlier, and we build our safety strategy around what protects people in real-world crashes—not just what meets a test. So while the industry is shifting, Mazda’s engineering teams have been preparing for this direction for years.”
What Top Safety Pick+ Means for Drivers and Families
JerseyFashionista: What does a Top Safety Pick+ rating mean for everyday drivers and families?
Jennifer Morrison:
“For families, TSP+ means confidence. It means your vehicle can help prevent a crash—and help protect you if one does occur. These awards look at some of the most common and most severe crash scenarios: side impacts, offset head-on collisions, even nighttime pedestrian crashes. When a vehicle earns TOP SAFETY PICK+, it’s been tested against some of the toughest evaluations in the industry. It’s a shorthand way of saying: this vehicle can do an outstanding job keeping people safe.”
Are These Safety Features Standard?
JerseyFashionista: Are these award-winning safety features standard across trims, or limited to higher-end models?
Jennifer Morrison:
“One of Mazda’s core commitments is making safety accessible. Many of the technologies that contribute to these awards – like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and rear seat belt pretensioners and load limiters – are standard on all trims. If a technology meaningfully improves safety, we work to make it standard.”
Balancing Safety, Design, and Driving Experience
JerseyFashionista: How important is safety to Mazda compared to design or driving experience?
Jennifer Morrison:
“At Mazda, those things are inseparable. Great design and an engaging driving experience support safety – when a vehicle communicates clearly with its driver, responds predictably, and feels intuitive, that helps avoid crashes. Our philosophy is that safety enhances the driving experience, and the driving experience enhances safety.
You can even see this blend in the details: the clean, sculpted front Mazda emblem remains a beautiful design element, yet behind it sits a forward radar sensor that helps detect vehicles ahead and avoid or mitigate impacts. We hide advanced technology within our design, not at the expense of it.
Design, driving dynamics, and safety are pillars of the same vision: making vehicles that are both fun to drive and deeply protective.”
Mazda’s Safety Vision for the Future
Mazda’s 2026 IIHS success highlights a broader shift in automotive priorities, where safety is no longer optional or secondary. By embedding protection into every aspect of vehicle design, Mazda demonstrates that innovation doesn’t have to come at the cost of driving enjoyment.
For consumers, this means more vehicles that not only perform well but also actively protect passengers and pedestrians alike. And as safety standards continue to evolve, Mazda appears well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve.
