The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and High Country and the GMC Sierra and Sierra Denali 1500 are the first pickups to receive a five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new rating system — it changed its Car Assessment Program for the 2011 model year.

NHTSA only tested the crew cab models of Silverado and Sierra. And according to GM, Chevrolet and GMC expect crew cab models to account for 60 percent of their 2014 light duty full-size pickup truck sales.

“Safety is as important to truck buyers as it is to car buyers,” said Gay Kent, GM general director of vehicle safety and crashworthiness. “Silverado and Sierra set a benchmark for pickup truck safety by offering a full array of advanced features designed to protect occupants before, during and after a collision.”

According to GM, Silverado and Sierra offer fully boxed frames, extensive use of high-strength steel and several safety features, including:

• Safety Alert Seat warns the driver of potential traffic danger using directional vibration pulses from the seat cushion. 

• Forward collision alert technology helps prevent frontal crashes by alerting the driver when the truck is closing in on a vehicle ahead too quickly, giving him or her additional time to react and avoid a crash.

• Lane Departure Warning technology alerts the driver when the truck drifts over a lane line when traveling at least 35 miles per hour.

• Rear Vision Camera with dynamic guidelines allows the driver, when in reverse, to view objects directly behind the vehicle via the radio screen in the center stack, allowing for easier parking and backing maneuvers.

• Six standard air bags and 360-degree sensor system, including dual-stage frontal air bags, head-curtain side-impact air bags with rollover protection, and seat-mounted side-impact air bags.

• Trailer-sway control that works with StabiliTrak to provide the driver with additional assistance when towing a trailer. When it senses trailer sway, it intervenes with braking and/or reduced engine power to bring the trailer under control.

• Four-wheel, four-channel, antilock disc brakes (ABS) that help provide straight, more controlled stops by preventing wheel lock-up in most road conditions.