In part because of the lack of stability control in the US cars.

that's because US cars suck.

they are cheap POS

Subaru had three in the top list as long as they don't catch on fire.....

Not surprising. We just picked up an XC90, nice SUV much more comfy and well thought out than the 04 ML.

Detroit has some work to do. The materials are cheep,the technology is second best. I hate to sound like a US basher but we do need to step it up.

what i find interesting , is that the cars that win the safety card in the US
in Europe, would not win at all

the cars that would win (by a big margin) aren't imported to the US at all...

in Europe, you'de see different cars on top

safety tests in Europe , also include how safe the cars are in case of a pedestrian hitting the bonnet and so on...and child protectiong safety in the backseat


for example in the executive class, the A6 is in there, 5 stars (out of 5)for the passenger safety

but the Citroen C6 has the same rating .. 5 stars again...(out of 5)

but then the pedestrian safety comes into play
Audi get's 1 star (out of 4)
C6 get's 4 stars (out of 4)


Midsize
US list states Audi A4 , Saab 9.3, Subaru Legacy as top of their class

EURONCAP lists

Audi A4 4 out of 5 and 1 out of 4
Saab 9.3 5 out of 5 and 1 out of 4
Subaru 4 out of 5 and 1 out of 4

Peugeot 407 5out of5 and 2 out of 4
same for Renault Laguna
Toyota Prius
VW Passat
Volvo S40
Lexus IS

and all of those get a better child protection rating then the Audi Saab or Subaru

I think that stability control may help the "average" driver,
but will be the final phase of proving Darwin's theory works for "dumb" drivers.
The same idiots I see every snow fall, upside down in the ditch in their SUV (because it has 4wd therefore sticks like glue), rear ending someone (because they have ABS and can stop in any conditions, from any speed ), will be flying straight of the road (because they have stability control and can take that 90 right at 100MPH without lifting). Just like the first non clued-in Audi Quattro owners back in the '70s.
You can't legislate against stupidity.

THe more "safety" features added, the less the driver skill required. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

IMHO, I prefer a car with as little "add-ons" as possible.

Ummm...... how about first they start more stringent drivers education, retesting every 5 years, and higher penalties for repeat accidents and bad driving convictions ?
Oh, and standardized-height steel bumpers with shocks.

They are using the previously-created aggresive/oblivious driving culture to force consumers towards completely computerized transportation.
Soon it will be impossible, then illegal, to work on your own fully purchased vehicle.

john..

One of my "pet peeves" is the lack of standardized bumpers on the back of most school buses. It is a wonder that in the case of a rear end collision the folks in a standard sedan are not decapitated. A case of the government saying "Do as I say, not as I do?"

I did 20 laps of Nurburgring in SAAB 9-3, with and without STS. I prefered driving the car with system tuned on. Albeit tuned for tires with bad grip, car was much easier to handle, even for us who like driving.

STS should work well in elementary school parking lots as well.:(
The problem with US drivers is that they don't understand the difference between fast and aggresive.

"that's because US cars suck.

they are cheap POS"

And because most US drivers suck at driving. I'm not opposed to safer cars, but what's next, training wheels? That would elevate a car to a safer status, but is that the answer? Machines to save us from ourselves.

We should all sell our Porsches and buy something "safer".

Yeah, right.

Sherwood

For maniditory- how about if they follow 10 feet behind at freeway speeds, or stop a foot from the car in front at lights, they get a continuous high-pitched shriek from the dash.

Sherwood:

Can't you just see it? All cars equipped with outriggers like they use at Consumer Reports when they test rollover?

We will need wider driving lanes!!

Bob,
I can also envision global positioning software on each car for instant monitoring of every move. Drive +2 mph over the speed limit on any public road, exceed 15º of steering angle at speed or rotate the wheel too quickly and they automatically fine you. Then they add the fine to your credit card account or to your mortgage. There'll come a day when you won't be allowed to actually control the vehicle you're "driving". Computers (probably SkyNet) will drive you from point A to point B.

Sherwood