First fitted in 1959...

First fitted in 1959, to a Volvo, the three-point belt became compulsory for front passengers in the UK in 1983, and has since saved more than 50,000 lives.

Second and third places in the safety survey, which was carried out by tyre company Avon, were taken by ABS and airbags. Malcolm Jones, product planning manager for Avon, said: "Manufacturers are forever pushing the boundaries to deliver safer vehicles. In 10 years" time, we"ll all be talking about pop-up bonnets, artificial intelligent braking systems and motors that can see around corners."

It"s not only the auto makers which are paying more attention to safety matters - the introduction of the Euro NCAP crash-testing programme in 1997 has led to a huge surge in safety consciousness among new car buyers. And despite the speed camera"s poor press, it came 10th in the table, having been voted the most important feature by two per cent of those drivers questioned.