WASHINGTON -- Many of the new cars hitting showrooms are safer than their predecessors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports the number of new cars considered the safest by the insurance industry nearly tripled in the past year. The institute cites the push by carmakers to make certain safety equipment more widely available.

"For 2008, consumers have the widest selection of vehicles they've ever had that afford the best protection in the most common kinds of crashes," said Institute president Adrian Lund.

Ford and Honda had the most vehicles on the institute's annual list of the safest cars for the 2008 model year, with five each. Honda's Acura brand had two.

Subaru and Hyundai both had four vehicles on the list. Thirty-four vehicles received the top safety pick designation for 2008, compared with 13 vehicles from the 2007 model year.

Pickup trucks were eligible to win for the first time this year because the institute conducted side-impact tests on many models.

"Pickups are among the top selling vehicles in the United States," Lund said. "They're also more likely than in the past to be used as family vehicles, so equipping them with the latest safety features is important."

The Toyota Tundra was the first pickup truck to receive the IIHS designation.

The IIHS said that 23 other vehicles would have been named Top Safety Pick if the cars' head restraints had earned good ratings.

The complete list of Top Safety Pick winning cars:

Large cars

• Audi A6
• Ford Taurus with optional electronic stability control
• Mercury Sable with optional electronic stability control
• Volvo S80

Midsize cars

• Audi A3, A4
• Honda Accord
• Saab 9-3
• Subaru Legacy with optional electronic stability control

Midsize convertibles

• Saab 9-3
• Volvo C70

Small car

• Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control

Minivans

• Honda Odyssey
• Hyundai Entourage
• Kia Sedona

Midsize SUVs

• Acura MDX
• Acura RDX
• BMW X3
• BMW X5
• Ford Edge
• Ford Taurus X
• Honda Pilot
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Hyundai Veracruz built after August 2007
• Lincoln MKX
• Mercedes M class
• Saturn VUE built after December 2007
• Subaru Tribeca
• Toyota Highlander
• Volvo XC90

Small SUVs

• Honda CR-V
• Honda Element
• Subaru Forester with optional electronic stability control

Large pickup

• Toyota Tundra

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