Every year more than 42,000 people lose their lives in car crashes and more than 2,500,000 are injured according to the National Highway Transportation Administration. As attorneys representing the families of people who have been killed in auto accidents, or people who have suffered serious injury, we have seen the devastating effect of negligent driving. One of the best ways you can protect your family other than driving safely yourself, is to drive a safe car.
In the United States, every new car must meet federal safety standards, but that does not mean that all cars are safe. Federal Safety Standards are considered a minimum standard for automakers to meet, and unfortunately, the automakers themselves have had significant input into the Federal Safety Standards. As a result, in many areas the Federal Safety Standards are inadequate or fail to require automakers to make the safest practice vehicle to be sold at a reasonable price.
Fortunately, each year the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration perform crash tests to determine automobile safety. You can find the results of their tests at www.highwaysafety.org for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and www.nhtsa.gov for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In addition, there are some additional things you should consider when purchasing your vehicle.
Airbags used in conjunction with lap/shoulder belts have shown to reduce the risk of fatal injury in crashes. Some manufacturers offer more choices in airbags than others including side door airbags for front seat passengers, rear seat passengers as well as side head airbags. You should also consider the fit of the vehicle with respect to the driver and remember that you should never place a rear facing car seat or child under 12 years of age in a seat equipped with a frontal airbag.
Head restrains are required in front seats of all new passenger cars to prevent neck injuries. However, some vehicles do not include them for rear passengers. Look for vehicles that include head restraints for all passengers, and insure that they fit directly behind and close to the back of the head of the driver and anticipated passengers.
Other useful safety features are antilock brakes and daytime running lights. Antilock brake systems pump the brakes automatically many times a second to prevent lock up and allow you to steer your car during a hard braking maneuver. Daytime running lights help avoid crashes by increasing the visibility of your vehicle.
You should also consider the vehicle's structural design and the vehicle's size and weight. Best vehicles have strong passenger compartments as well as zones that buckle and bend in a crash to absorb force of the crash. Vehicles that are larger and heavier generally sustain the crash better than lighter and smaller ones. Sports cars and lighter vehicles tend to have more deaths per accident than larger vehicles.
It is also useful to consult with Consumer Reports concerning vehicles that you are considering for purchase as in addition to reliability and maintenance reports they address safety.
