The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently announced that 115 vehicles won its Top Safety Pick award for 2012, including 18 new recipients along with 97 winners of the 2011 award.

The Top Safety Pick is given to vehicles which protect drivers and passengers during front, rear, side and rollover collisions, the four most common types, according to IIHS. Of the winning vehicles, 69 were cars, 38 were SUVs, five were minivans and three were pickups. Taken together, IIHS notes, this amounts to a record high number of safe choices for consumers.

Last year also posted a record high number of winners, with the initial 66 award earners joined by additional models throughout the year as auto manufacturers implemented safety improvements. More than 100 vehicles won the 2011 Top Safety Pick award.

Electronic Stability Control is not a factor as it was in the past, IIHS states, because a federal mandate requires all new vehicles to include ESC starting in 2012. ESC can reduce the chances of collisions resulting from drivers losing control of their vehicles.

Vehicle collisions can cause property damage, injury and death, as well as leading to higher auto insurance rates and inconveniencing vehicle owners who may be unable to drive while their car is repaired