#CrashTesting

It’s not all wheel drive, it’s not boxer engines and it isn’t rally racing that Subaru puts atop its priority list.

Manufacturers are catching up with the small overlap test that tanked ratings for so many vehicles in 2012, but that success might be short-lived.

Things keep getting safer for children. In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) latest round of booster-seat tests 27 newly designed chairs were rated “Best Bet,” the top score available.

In the latest Status Report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the institute touches on the subject that safety isn’t a global standard and that some regions lag behind the U.S., Europe, and Australia in protecting people in crashes.

Ever since the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash tests grew more stringent in 2010, few cars have scored a five-star top rating; the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and M-Class can now be added to that exclusive list.

Following on from the announcement that GM is looking at redesigning the Chevrolet Volt’s lithium-ion battery system in the wake of several highly publicized fires resulting from test crashes, comes further news that both the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration delayed disclosure of their original findings by months.

Another one makes the list. This time around, it’s the all-new 2011 Scion tC sports coupe that’s been awarded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) top overall rating of five stars.

Ford announced today that five of their vehicles have been selected as Top Safety Picks By The IIHS, boosting their total to 11 vehicles. The 2010 Ford Flex and Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and MKT and the Mercury Milan all scored the highest possible ratings in the IIHS’s front, side and rear impact tests as well as their roof strength test. The ratings mean that Ford now leads the industry in Top Safety Picks as well as government five-star crash ratings.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

[Source: Ford]