When You Shop for a New Car, Consider Safety Ratings

Most people know that the federal government enforces certain safety standards for new cars. However, these are only the minimum standards a car manufacturer must satisfy in order to have its vehicles considered safe. Many automakers offer safety features beyond the required federal minimums. When shopping for a new car, you should look for a vehicle that offers the maximum safety features in your price range.

The following list of safety features should be considered when you are shopping:

·   Crashworthiness – This rating indicates the level of risk of death or serious injury if a crash occurs. Log on to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s web site at www.iihs.org/searchresults.aspx?q=crashworthiness for more information about the various models.

·   Structural design – Look for a structural design that has a strong occupant compartment. The vehicle should have front and rear ends that buckle and bend in a crash to absorb the force of the crash. This keeps the occupant compartment from collapsing. If the occupant compartment collapses, the likelihood of injury increases significantly.

·   Size and weight – Larger and heavier cars are safer than lighter and smaller models. In crashes where smaller and larger vehicles collide, the larger vehicles drive the smaller ones backwards, which increases the forces in the smaller vehicles.

·   Restraint systems – Shoulder belts, airbags and head restraints are designed to work together with a vehicle’s structure to protect people in crashes. Shoulder belts keep you in place, reducing the possibility of your body slamming into something hard or being ejected from the vehicle. Airbags reduce the risk of the head and upper body hitting some part of the vehicle’s interior. They also distribute crash forces more evenly across your body. Head restraints keep your head from being violently snapped, which would injure your neck in a rear-end crash.

·   Anti-lock brakes – Conventional brakes may cause wheels to lock if you brake too hard. This can result in skidding and possible loss of control of the car. Anti-lock brakes pump brakes automatically many times a second to prevent locking and keep you in control. While anti-lock brakes help you maintain steering control, they don’t necessarily help you stop more quickly.

·   Daytime running lights – These are usually high-beam headlights at reduced intensity or low-beam lights at full or reduced power. These lights prevent daytime accidents because they increase the contrast between the vehicle and its background, which makes the car more visible to oncoming drivers.

·   Miscellaneous factors – Other design characteristics can influence injury risk. The structure of some small utility vehicles and pickups make them more likely to roll over during a crash. High performance cars tend to have higher-than-average death rates because drivers, especially young ones, speed when they are behind the wheel. You should examine the design features of any new car you are considering to be sure that they are appropriate for everyone who will be driving the car.