Car Safety

Saab has won the 2008 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick Award in the mid-sized category with its new 9-3. All models, including the Sport Sedan, SportCombi and convertible, picked up the prize. The Saab 9-3 performed well in both front and side crash tests and reflects...

The insane competition for lightness and strength at the top levels of motorsport, especially Formula 1, drove companies like Ferrari to experiment with carbon and carbon-composite materials for nearly every possible application. One that really stuck was brake discs - the high-strength, high...

SUVs have traditionally fared poorly in safety tests but a majority of the new-generation compact soft-roaders have scored at least four stars in the Euro NCAP tests, with a few, like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Land Rover Freelander/LR2, even getting the coveted five star rating. In its latest round...

The number of vehicles that achieved the highest safety rating in the latest round of crash tests conducted by America’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has leapt from 13 to 34 in the period of only one year. Asian carmakers dominated the results, earning 17 top spots, followed...

Police have a new weapon for stopping speeding hoons in the form of the ‘X-Net’ vehicle arresting system. When placed across a road the camouflaged netting becomes imperceptible to speeding drivers. Any car that gets entangled in it will immediately be brought to a crashing halt. The...

Motorists in the UK are already faced with some of the highest fuel prices and road taxes in the world and now they could be facing much tougher penalties for speeding. The latest proposal could see drivers banned for just two offences and face fines of up to £100 ($209). In fairness to the policy...

As city streets get more congested with the steady rise in new cars each year, the number of complicated driving situations will inevitably rise as well. That’s why carmakers are working hard to develop new safety features which assist with driving tasks and, as a result, significantly...

Despite its diminutive size the Smart Fortwo supermini has achieved a four out of five star rating in the latest Euro NCAP’s Adult Occupant crash tests, putting it in par with some large sedans and SUVs in terms of occupant safety. The same can’t be said for pedestrian safety, where the...

One of the greatest difficulties for any niche carmaker in developing a new car is completing the full list of safety checks mandated by regulatory bodies around the world. One of the most important and expensive of these checks is vehicle crash testing, which Tesla had to undergo recently for its...

Size and safety are the motivations for most SUV buyers but an American study has cast doubt on their safety records. It found that many models perform poorly in side-impact collisions, including top selling vehicles such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The study was conducted...

One of the most popular sports cars in America is now also one of the safest as evidenced in the results of the latest independent crash safety and rollover testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Ford’s 2008 Mustang convertible has scored a five star...

First Volvo unveiled a new blind spot warning system, then Mercedes followed suit and launched its own version, and now Jaguar has announced plans for a new blind spot detection system as well. Jaguar will call on vehicle parts supplier Valeo Raytheon to source a new radar-based blind spot...

Following in the footsteps of Volvo, Mercedes-Benz has released a new option for its S and CL-Class models to aid drivers when changing lanes. Dubbed 'Blind Spot Assist', the system employs six radar sensors in the front and rear of the car to detect anything that could cause a potential accident...

A recent study in Germany has found cars equipped with xenon headlights are less at risk of being in an accident compared with cars using duller halogen bulbs. According to the results of the study conducted by Germany’s TÜV Rheinlands, if every car featured xenon lights, the number of...

Americans - like their cars - are getting heavier every year. Unfortunately, it seems the tested passenger capacities of the cars they drive are not keeping up. Two-seaters like the Mazda MX-5 and the Chevy Corvette aren't rated to carry two 200lb (91kg) adults - and some, like the Cadillac XLR are...

Passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. from 2013 will be required to have side-impact protection as standard under new regulations introduced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The new laws are expected to save hundreds of lives every year by reducing the severity of the impact on...

In its latest round of testing, Europe’s Euro NCAP testing body crash tested four newly launched models with all of them showing excellent results. The cars included the Fiat 500 and Renault Twingo superminis as well as the Kia Cee'd and new Peugeot 308 hatches. The stylish 500 mini managed a...

Despite the number of accidents occurring because a driver nodded off behind the wheel, carmakers are yet to install systems that could detect tiredness or other distractions. There are several aftermarket safety kits available but now Volvo has launched what it claims to be the world’s first...

Two car thieves got more than they bargained for when the Lamborghini Gallardo they’d stolen from the east coast of Italy turned out to be equipped with the latest LoJack vehicle recovery system. The tracking device uses radio frequency technology to help pinpoint the location of stolen...

Maserati has issued a recall for its Quattroporte saloon because of fears a software glitch could cause the car’s traction and stability control systems to switch off automatically. The only affected model in Maserati’s lineup is the Quattroporte but it concerns both the older Duoselect...