The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced four vehicles that earn its Top Safety Pick award: the 2009 Audi Q5, 2010 Lexus RX, 2009 Toyota Venza, and 2009 Volkswagen CC.

To qualify for the Top Safety Pick accolade, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's three main tests: front-, side-, and rear-impacts. In addition it must be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC). All four of these vehicles come equipped with standard ESC and side air bags.

We recently tested all four. Our full Ratings are in the model overview pages of each vehicle (available to online subscribers).

There are currently 77 2009 models, so far, that earn the Top Pick award, up from 43 for the 2008 model year. Among them are most of the Subaru and Honda/Acura line as well as several Ford products and Volvo models. One reason for the increase is that IIHS has pushed manufacturers to make vehicles more crashworthy, improving occupant protection. Another reason is the addition of standard ESC, which will be required equipment on all vehicles by the 2012 model year. However, many manufacturers have wisely chosen to add this important safety feature to their line up before the deadline.

See Crash test 101 for more information on how the IIHS evaluates and tests vehicles. Also, check out our more than 300 crash test videos to see how vehicles perform in IIHS' front and side crash tests.

—Liza Barth