deploy according to the severity of an accident. Front and rear side curtain air bags protect in severe side impacts and front seat-mounted side air bags add chest protection. The rear-wheel-drive LS 430 adds electronic brake-force distri- bution. A pre-collision system increases braking force if its radar sensors deter- mine that a collision with the vehicle ahead is unavoidable. If so, it retracts the driver's and front passenger's seatbelts to help reduce collision injury. A tire pres- sure monitor, adaptive front lighting to illuminate on a curve or turn, stability and traction control are also standard. A 4.3-liter V8 provides power through a six-speed automatic transmission. Ilision Course BMW 545i Base price, $54,995 ____ ■ 11:111,0 Cadillac DeVille DTS Base price: $50,100 An advanced system of air bags, and Stabilitrak, Cadillac's stability control sys- tem, are standard. Ultrasonic assist makes rear parking maneuvers safer, and LED stop-lamps and taillights outshine the tra- ditional incandescents. Optional thermal- imaging technology lets drivers see beyond headlight range. OnStar, GM's information and communication service, tops it off with one year of free service. For the rich and famous, an inconspicu- ous-appearing armored edition (estimated cost, around $130,000) protects with bul- let-resista - 1t glass windows. For p,6wer, the full-size DeVille DTS em-r-,oys a sturdy 300-hp, 4.6-liter Northstar V-8. Lexus LS 430 Base price: $55,125 The standard safety features on this full- size luxury sedan start with knee-level air bags and variable force front air bags that This midsize, rear-wheel-drive sport sedan has enough safety features to satisfy a guardian angel. The list includes as stan- dard, a flat tire monitor, an emergency con- nection to BMW's Assist Response Center and an advanced head protection system. Add to that, dynamic stability control and dynamic traction control for plowing through deep snow or sand. In an accident, 10 sensors deploy air bags and safety-belt tensioners according to severity. Active cruise control uses radar sensors in the front bumper to maintain a safe following distance. Four ultrasonic sensors in front and rear bumpers warn of parking obstacles and Adaptive Light Control corrects head- light aim for safer night driving. A potent 4.4-liter V-8 is matched with a six-speed automatic. Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Base price, $26,090 A second generation of the midsize Saab's innovative Active Head Restraint system protects against whiplash and wins awards for the firm. The front-wheel-drive, corn- pact-size 9-3 includes side-impact air bags engineered into the front seats for chest protection. Side-curtain air bags deploy from the ceiling to protect both front and rear occupants. They remain inflated up to three seconds to prevent a passenger's head from striking side windows, roof pil- lars or exterior objects. Other standard safety features include electronic stability and traction controls, electronic brake force distribution, cornering brake con- trols and mechanical brake assist. Power: 175 to 210-hp turbo engine with five or six-speed manual or five- speed automatic. 0 We're about to witness a catastrophic accident, the kind that can kill or cause severe injuries. It's happening at Honda's $30 million Research and Development Laboratories, not far from the bustling city of Tokyo. Engineers here will send a Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle and a Honda Civic speeding toward each other. They will crash at 30 miles per hour and at a 180-degree angle. The Pilot weighs 1.8 times more than the Civic. In real- life car accidents, a passenger in a smaller car is four times more likely to die than the occupant of a heavier minivan. That's why Honda developed Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE ), which the crash will demonstrate. The system includes high tensile strength steel incorporated in a new front-end frame structure. It lets the engine absorb more crash energy than the passenger compartment. ACE also prevents misalignment with other vehicle bodies. We watch from a railing one floor above the action at the 320,000-square-foot crash test facility. Men in white cover- alls observe from a control center on an overhead boom. Lights flash and buzzers sound. The two vehicles streak in from opposite sides and crash with a sonic-like boom. When the smoke settles, we learn from the facility's Chief Engineer, Tomijii Sugimoto, that the Civic's dummy occupants, had they been humans, would have survived with possibly minor cuts and bruises. The ACE system will debut next fall on the all-new Honda Odyssey minivan and Acura RL sedan and eventually on all Honda and Acura models. Next we drive Hondas equipped with Intelligent Highway Cruise Control, which keeps our vehicle a safe distance from the one ahead. Get too close, and the car slows down until we are at our specified distance from the car we're following. If we lag behind, it speeds us up. The system also beeps at us whenever we stray over the lane line. We test the pre- crash safety technol- ogy Honda has intro- duced in Japan. We're told not to use the brake and to drive the radar-equipped vehicle into a target moving alongside a van. As we near the target, we feel the seat belt pre-ten- sioner grab four times while an instrument panel light and buzzer warn of an imminent collision. Then braking begins to slow us down to mitigate the severity of the impending crash. As we collide with the lightweight target, it pivots upward and over the hood. In an actual accident, damage to passengers and car would have been mitigated. We take Japan's 150-plus-miles-per-hour Bullet Train back to our hotel in Tokyo. On the way, we think of the young families who will feel confident about their children's safety while riding in cars that say "Safety for Everyone." — Julie Candler FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRASH-TESTED SAFETY OF OTHER VEHICLES, CALL THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AT 1-888—DASH-2—DOT, OR VISIT WWW.NHTSA.GOV AND CLICK ON "BUYING A SAFER CAR."