The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released their crash test results for small pickups—and they're not good. The non-profit agency said in a statement that small pickups aren't providing as much protection in side crashes as many new cars and SUVs. "The Toyota Tacoma was the only one of five small pickup trucks, all 2008 models, to earn the highest rating of good for occupant protection," in recent side crash tests that the organization conducted.

The IIHS said that crash performance in side tests is important because side impacts are the second most common type of fatal crash, killing nearly 9,000 occupants in 2006. The Tacoma will have standard side airbags beginning in 2009. Most of the other manufacturers in the comparison offered them as an option—the exception being the ancient Ford Ranger—but for some reason did not choose to submit vehicles equipped with the air bags to the IIHS for the tests.