Lucas Bell 
The pickup truck is the most popular vehicle in the United States. Whether it be a Ford, a Chevy, or a Ram, these vehicles dominate American streets. And while there are several ways that buyers differentiate these models, be it features, styling, or brand loyalty, FCA may have a new argument for the safety-minded buyer. The IIHS has just announced that the 2021 Ram 1500 crew cab has received a Top Safety Pick award when properly equipped.
To take home this award, The 2021 Ram 1500 needed to earn good ratings in six crashworthiness evaluations, as well as advanced or superior ratings for both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. Last but not least, the truck must also offer acceptable- or good-rated headlights on at least one of the trim offerings. That’s quite the list, but one that certain Ram offerings can handle in stride.
We noted that the truck must be properly equipped, as not every 2021 Ram 1500 model has received this distinction. More specifically, the award winning truck was equipped with the company’s optional front crash prevention software, as well as FCA’s curve-adaptive LED headlights. These lights are only offered on the Laramie Longhorn, Limited and TRX models, and are the only set of the four headlight offerings from FCA to receive above a marginal score. In fact, it is the lackluster headlights alone that prevented the truck from receiving the coveted Top Safety Pick+ award across the model lineup.
The 2021 Ram 1500 is the only large truck to receive the IIHS Top Safety Pick award on sale today, though the new 2021 Ford F-150 has yet to receive its rating. Until we get those results, the Ram is the only truck to capture a good rating in all six of the crashworthiness tests. This means that even without the crash mitigation software, this truck is the safest vehicle in the segment should you end up in a hairy situation. Considering just how many of these things Ram sells, that is a good thing for all of us.
