Safest Cars for 2006 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) picks the 10 safest cars every year.  The test consists of 40 mph frontal crash, side impact crash, and rear crash tests.  The vehicles are broken into classes such as small, midsize, large cars, and minivans.  All of the vehicles designated the safest had side impact airbags and seat or head restraints that were designed to protect against neck injuries in a rear crash or impact. Ford 500/Mercury Montego The Ford Five Hundred and the Mercury Montego are large sedan sized cars that tied for achieving the highest safety ratings.  Both vehicles offer a two row safety canopy system that provides additional protection in side impact collisions, but that also deploys in case of a rollover accident.  Audi A6 The Audi A6 received a silver medal in the testing for large cars.  The tests showed that the Audi A6 maintained the driver’s survival space well and the intrusion into the driver’s space was also minimized. The tests also showed that the head acceleration was minimal, which means less chances of a head injury during a crash.    Saab 9-3 The Saab 9-3 also received a gold medal in the testing for mid sized cars.  The car includes standard driver side airbags, front airbags, side head curtain airbags, and passenger side airbags.  The car also has a vehicle stability control system, traction control, antilock brake system, and traction control.  All of these features make for a safe vehicle. Subaru Legacy The Subaru Legacy also got a gold medal for safety for the mid sized cars.  The Legacy also maintained the driver’s survival space well, and it provided low head intrusions.  The car also helped protect the legs and feet of the driver because the injuries here were very low.  Audi A3 The Audi A3 received a silver award for safety in the midsized car category.  The car boasts of being a four door vehicle with a sporty look.  It delivers the quality of a luxury sedan but is designed like a coupe.  The car provided low risk of injury to the head, neck, and chest areas.  The car also has side airbags, electronic stability controls, and antilock brakes. Audi A4 The Audi A4 also obtained a silver award for the midsized car.   The A4 is a luxury-like sedan from Audi.  The A4 provided low risk of significant injury, and head acceleration was low, indicating a low risk of significant head injury.  This car also features side airbags, electronic stability controls, and antilock brakes. Chevy Malibu The Chevy Malibu received a silver award for the mid sized sedan category.  This car features child safety locks, vehicle anti theft, traction control, and other safety features.  The car provided protection for all parts of the body, with a minimal risk of injury to various body parts such as legs, neck, and the head. Volkswagon Jetta The Volkswagon Jetta Silver also received a silver award for the mid sized sedan category. It is more of a compact sedan, featuring child safety door locks and an anti theft system.  This car also features a driver side airbag, a front side airbag, passenger airbag, and a side curtain airbag.  The car also has optional second row airbags and first aid kit.  Another good feature of the vehicle is that it provides a trunk anti-trap device.  The car also provided protection for all parts of the body with a minimal risk of injury to various body parts such as legs, neck, and the head. Volkswagon Passat The Volkswagon Passat also received a silver award for the mid sized sedan.  It is almost a luxury type sedan, and was designed to be a step up from the Jetta.  The Passat, like all of the other cars that received high safety ratings, contained the same types of airbags and anti lock brake system.  This car also includes daytime running lights.  The car provided protection for all parts of the body, with a minimal risk of injury to various body parts such as legs, neck, and the head. Honda Civic The Honda Civic received a gold award for the small car category.  This car is considered to be a compact due to its size and passenger capacity.  The Civic has safety features similar to the others, and also includes the trunk anti trap device such as the one seen in a Volkswagon Jetta.  The car provided protection for all parts of the body with a minimal risk of injury to various body parts such as legs, neck, and the head.  These features caused the Honda Civic to be the only compact car to receive the highest safety award for the year. Consumers can not go wrong with choosing one of these cars.  More information can be found by visiting either the website of the IIHS or the NHTSA.  Consumers can also find out more by visiting the manufacturers’ websites.