IF you were going to be hit by a car, you'd better off if it was a Subaru Impreza and not a Volvo, according to crash test results which found it to be Australia's safest car.

The latest tests from the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) revealed that the new Imprezas rate five out of five in safety for occupants and four out of four in pedestrian safety.

After spending weeks driving the car into walls, poles and crash-test dummies, an ANCAP spokesperson said the Impreza was the first vehicle to have the maximum rating for pedestrian protection.

It even beat the safety-conscious Volvos for the rating.

???This result for the new Impreza model demonstrates Subaru??™s commitment to improving vehicle safety and is great news for car buyers,??? the spokesperson said.

According to an ANCAP statement, a ???frontal impact??? crash test while the car was travelling at 64km/hour revealed that the Impreza??™s compartment was ???very strong??? and reduced potential injuries to occupants.

It was also highly rated in side-impact and side-pole testing.

ANCAP praised Subaru for its implementation of new safety technology, including its Electronic Stability Control and side airbags.

???We are pleased to see more manufacturers providing the latest safety technologies,??? the spokesperson said.

Source: [url=http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22339302-462,00.html]NEWS.com.au[/url]