Take a look at the numbers of people killed on the roads in the USA and then look at certain european countries, like UK, Germany, Sweden or Finland.
I would much rather be driving in Europe and even in France or Germany when the road accident statistics are taken into account. If you see the number of deaths per 1000 or do a quick search on the internet for global crash figures the USA is no where near the top and Europe is at the top. America does not have the best safety and this might be due to the people in America who still don't know what a seat belt is.

Ed, London,

"Nonsense. The United States has always set the standard for automotive safety. We consider the NCAP rating less than reliable. The U.S. rating represents real driving condition, which are about the same in most of Europe."

Apart from seatbelts of course, where the US followed the UK's lead.

ed, ottawa,

This only goes to increase my concern that certain manufactures could be tailoring their vehicles so that they perform well in Euro NCAP testing. Unfortunately this does not necessarily mean they will perform well in the real world.
E.g. Best performance is achieved by using the full crumple zone. To do this heavy vehicles require stiffer crumple zones than lighter ones. However this inequality in construction means that the lighter vehicle in a real impact, between vehicles of different weights, suffers much more.

It’s working to get the best results within the given rules, just as in motorsport. I hope the FIAs continued involvement in Euro NCAP can ensure that this is not allowed to happen.

Chris, London,

VW Canada had to raise the suspension height of their 2007 Golf GTI sport hatch to meet local safety requirements. As a result, Canadian (and US) GTIs are 20-22mm higher than their European counterparts. The specifications, in fact, call for the front to be 2mm higher than the rear. This is not including a +/- 10mm tolerance.

While I appreciate that a higher GTI is potentially "safer", the resultant side profile of the car can look very strange once the suspension tolerance is included. My GTI looks as if there is a permanent heavy load in the back. Including the suspension tolerance, my car is about 13mm higher in the front than the back.

John, BC, Canada

So the EuroNCAP is an industry self-regulated programme. I quote the author as stating, "manufacturers are expected to conduct these (tests)themselves." whereas the IIHS is an independant study.
I know who I believe. Maybe, just maybe BMW is a big spender on advertising in your paper and the author was given the job of "spinning" this news release.

Richard, South Molton, Devon

The U.S. has not set the standard for safety. For example, U.S. manufactures were the last to implement Driver and Passenger Air-bags. Mercedes Benz, Saab and Volvo have been crash testing cars since the 1950's.
U.S. cars were still using non-safety glass well into the 1970's.

Robert Mondavi, dallas, TX

...Just becasue there is (according to the reporter) a smaller chance of bieng hit by an SUV in Europe - means we can dismiss the US reports?

All this time I was under the false impression that the X5 & X3, Touareg, Cayenne, ML & GL, 4007, Q7 were newcomers to the Range Rover / Landcruser party.

All those "Chelsea tractors" we see in all the posh neighborhoods in all the major cities of Europe is just an illusion....

Costas, Nicosia , Cyprus

Typical responses from US citizens...always think they the best but in fact if you look at american cars' safety records compared to eg German vehicles, the one gets the real picture.
Id rather trust NCAP in europe with my life anyday

Thomas, Randburg, South Africa

"The U.S. rating represents real driving condition, which are about the same in most of Europe."

Let's hope that nowhere in the world that the driving environment becoming like the US. Who'd want to have these huge pick-up trucks and SUVs filled with soccer mums yapping on the phone, on their roads?

Dan, Wellington, New Zealand

Why would you suggest that your readers dismiss a crash test based on the country it was conducted in?

David, Fairfield, US CA

Nonsense. The United States has always set the standard for automotive safety. We consider the NCAP rating less than reliable. The U.S. rating represents real driving condition, which are about the same in most of Europe.

Charles Ross, New York City, New York

"United States - yes, just to confuse the issue, there is a federal NCAP there and the IIHS, as the name suggests, is an independent organisation which is wholly supported by insurance companies - the entire width is impacted into a flat, rigid wall. Euro NCAP say that their test is more representative of on-road accidents and therefore provides a more stringent test of the vehicle’s structural integrity and rigidity. "

The IIHS uses a 40% coverage, 40 mph offset front impact test.

And, the side impact test uses a 3500 lbs, slightly lifted bumper. It's like getting hit by a tiny SUV like a Honda CR-V or a Toyota RAV4, which are both indeed very relevant to Europe.

Steve Boles, Seaside, CA