IRISH drivers are the least likely in Europe to have life-saving automatic braking in their cars, despite paying more than the average price for their vehicles.

THOUSANDS of deaths and serious injuries could be prevented each year on Europe’s roads if car manufacturers brought in safety changes ahead of legislation, a report published yesterday revealed.

A new car on sale next week has become the first supermini to achieve a maximum 5-star safety rating in an official European crash test programme.