ONLY one car out of the 13 popular saloons smashed in official European crash protection tests came out with the top four-star safety rating.

More surprising, it was the cheaper models which did better than the pricey ones with a reputation for safety.

The upshot is that price alone is no guide for the consumer on which car is safer.

But what has been the manufacturers' reaction to these revealing tests?

Essentially, it has been to rubbish the methods and so the results.

It's a bit like the teachers' response when the national school tests were first introduced.

They complained about the nature of the tests, but what was more apparent was their dislike at being expected to improve their own standards.

If the manufacturers are doing that - and so doing less than they might to improve consumer safety - it is as well that we have the tests to either expose their failings or see them slip down the league tables unless they pull their socks up.

That is a lesson the teachers are having to learn. And the car makers will have to follow.

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