Shopping for Safety

The statistics tell the story. With approximately 20 million drivers involved in crashes in the United States every year, each driver faces a likelihood of being in one of them about every eight or nine years.

Safety officials know that no vehicle can guarantee absolute protection in all kinds of crash circumstances. But, some vehicles offer better inherent protection than others. Your safety and that of people who travel with you can stem from many things—strong vehicle structure and crashworthiness, safety features, alert and defensive driving, as well as vigilant use of safety belts for all occupants.

Plus, "driving a vehicle with advanced safety features and a high rating for crash protection may not only save the life of someone you know and reduce injuries in the event of a crash, it may also save you money," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. "In some states, certain safety features on a vehicle . . . reduce the cost of insurance. Safety features and high crash-protection ratings may also boost your vehicle's resale value because consumers are increasingly recognizing the importance of vehicle safety."

Here are important factors to consider when shopping for safety:

• Vehicle mass is more important than any optional feature. The mass of car surrounding you can determine how much protection you have. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its laboratory crash data show that heavy vehicles offer more protection than light vehicles with the very same safety equipment, particularly in two-vehicle crashes. Drill deeper into the issue of vehicle size in Car Size Counts.
• Airbags are proven lifesavers for adults. Airbags 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. Newer models of cars have higher-tech frontal airbags that can deploy at different speeds, depending on the severity of the car crash and other factors. An increasing number of vehicles are offering side airbags that provide protection in side crashes, and some models offer curtain or tubular airbags that pop out of the ceiling in side and/or rollover crashes. Frontal airbags are standard equipment on all new vehicles for both driver and outboard front-seat passenger, but frontal airbags can hurt or even kill young children and small-statured adults. Read more on The Lowdown on Airbagsl.
• Seat belts and child restraints should fit comfortably. Seat belts are the primary safety feature in vehicles. They save nearly 12,000 lives and prevent 325,000 injuries a year when used, according to NHTSA. "We recommend that new buyers sit in a vehicle, put on the seat belts, and check the fit," NHTSA advises. "Even with seat belt extenders, some belts may not properly fit some people safely. If this is the case, you should find a vehicle with seat belts that do fit." In recent years, seat belts have become better, for example including pre-tensioners that help belts cinch a person in just before an airbag deploys. For more, read how to be Seat Belt Savvy.
• Head restraints are designed to help reduce whiplash and other neck injuries. Head restraints are required for front-seat riders at the outboard seat positions, but not on the rear seats. Still, it is advisable that all riders have head restraints that are positioned properly. "To be effective, the top of the head restraint should be between the top of your ears and the top of your head," NHTSA said. "Horizontal placement should be as close to your head as possible, without pushing your head forward or causing the height of the head restraint to drop." The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance industry group, also advises that head restraints lock into place for maximum support in a crash.
• Anti-lock brakes help a driver maintain steering control during emergency, hard braking. Using onboard computers linked to sensors in each wheel, anti-lock brakes can keep wheels from locking up, thus preventing skids. However, drivers must know how to use ABS to reap the benefits. For details, including what to look for regarding ABS when considering a new or used vehicle, read our article on Anti-Lock Brakes.
• Tire pressure monitoring systems can alert a driver if a tire is getting low. The warning comes via an alert inside the car; sometimes it's accompanied by an audible warning. Note that a low tire can lead to excess tire wear and a potential blowout. It also can detrimentally affect steering and vehicle control. As of Nov. 1, 2003, NHTSA requires that all passenger vehicles have a tire monitor system. Automakers can choose the kind of tire pressure monitoring system they want to install. One measures the pressure in each tire directly, and another uses the vehicle's anti-lock brake system hardware to sense tire pressure differences by monitoring the speed of tire revolution.
• Traction control reduces how much wheels slip and thereby improves vehicle stability. Depending on the automaker and the vehicle, there can be differences in how traction control operates. In some vehicles, wheel slippage is stopped via an automatic application of the brakes at the wheel that's slipping. Some vehicles accompany this effort by a reduction in engine power.
• Stability control systems can help a driver maintain control. Using wheel sensors and computers that constantly monitor the direction the steering wheel is aimed and the direction of the car, stability control systems automatically brake selected wheels to help correct potentially out-of-control situations. For example, if the system detects the car is about to fishtail and spin out of control on an icy turn, it can gently apply the outside front brake to straighten the car, just as a paddler slows and straightens a turning canoe by dragging a paddle over one side. Note that stability control cannot keep a vehicle on the road if the speed is too great for the available system to manage.
• All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive maximize traction by supplying power to all four wheels, rather than just two wheels. All-and four-wheel-drive vehicles can still experience wheel slippage in hard acceleration on certain surfaces, unless the vehicles also have traction control. It's important for drivers to note that all- and four-wheel-drive vehicles must be driven prudently, as they, too, can become stuck in heavy snow and can slip on icy conditions.
• Automatic emergency notification systems can bring help more quickly to a crash site. The notification centers of systems such as General Motors Corp.'s OnStar and TeleAid from Mercedes-Benz are alerted automatically if a crash deploying a frontal airbag occurs. The emergency center notified can use the vehicle's global positioning satellite system to locate the car and summon aid, even if the driver is unconscious. As of fall 2003, a limited number of Chevrolet Malibus from the 2004 model year are slated to also carry new crash sensors that will transmit to OnStar centers information about the type of crash a vehicle has been in and the kind of crash forces that impacted passengers. The additional data can be shared with emergency personnel, with an eye toward improving medical evaluation and treatment after a crash.
• Crashworthiness can be inferred by laboratory crash-test results. Two organizations in the United States give the public access to their crash-test results. NHTSA posts frontal and side crash ratings as well as rollover predictions on its Web site. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performs slightly different testing and lists ratings on its Web site. "Although it is impossible to assess how well a vehicle provides protection in all circumstances using a single test, (NHTSA's) ratings provide a useful basis for comparing vehicle safety," NHTSA said. "In reviewing the front- and side-impact ratings [at the site], keep in mind that of the over 3 million severe crashes annually, approximately 1.6 million are frontal crashes, while approximately 800,000 are side crashes."