Although car safety has improved steadily, some car models are much safer than others. This feature shows which of 54 of the car models on sale in the UK provide the best protection in an accident. The same safety criteria are used, whatever the car size. To calculate the ratings, Which?'s vehicle safety experts inspected each car to see how well it would protect its occupants in different types of accident; they assessed 57 crucial design points. The scores have ratings from 4 (least safe) to 12 (safest). The models on the market are given safety ratings for each of the following groups: (1) superminis (4 to 8.5); (2) small family cars (6 to 10); (3) large family cars (6 to 11.5); (4) executive cars (10.5 to 12); and. (5) mini-mpv cars (8.5 to 9.5). The article comments briefly on seat belts and on several types of air bag system. It mentions that manufacturers are working on cars that can predict driver behaviour and override a driver who tries to make a dangerous move. Which? is also involved in the New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP), which puts cars through front- and side-impact crash tests, and assesses their damage; however, it tests only collisions between cars of the same size. The article outlines some of its findings for specific models on sale in Europe.
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