Auto Safety Features

“About 20 million drivers are involved in vehicle accidents each year. That works out to about one accident per driver every eight or nine years,” says Terry Miller, spokesman for the National Safety Council. With odds like these, shopping for safety features when buying a new or used car or truck may save your life—or the lives of your children and other passengers.

What should you look for? A motor vehicle crash is a very violent event, even at relatively low speeds. No vehicle can guarantee protection in all kinds of crash circumstances, but some offer better inherent protection than others. The combination of good structure to absorb crash forces, airbags, seat belt use and prudent driving stacks the odds in your favor.

Here are some suggestions, based on crash tests and insurance claims from actual drivers:

Vehicle size is important, because the amount of car surrounding you fundamentally determines how much protection you have. Choosing a small car for fuel economy and price more than doubles the risk of fatality to occupants. You should also consider a vehicle's performance in crash tests and on-the-road crash experience.

Airbags are proven lifesavers. They account for a 20 percent reduction in driver fatalities from frontal crashes, a reduction of 24 percent in hospital insurance claims, and a reduction of 25 to 29 percent in moderate to severe injury claims depending on the size of the car.

Seat belts and child restraints when appropriate should be worn or used on every outing, even short trips. Never place a rear-facing child safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger-side airbag; severe inury to the child could result should the bag open. The best place for children of any age to ride is in the back seat.

While anti-lock brakes have proven effective on test tracks, performance figures derived from insurance claims do not show they have reduced the number or severity of actual crashes.

For valuable information on crash tests, safety features and buying tips, take a look at "Buying a Safer Car", from NHTSA.

Source: National Safety Council and NHTSA