Smart Safety Solutions

Car Safety

What are the most important features to you when you're buying a car? It generally depends on what stage of life you're in, so your preferences tend to change over time. Of course, everyone wants a good looking vehicle, but your other priorities come and go through the years.

What You Want vs. What You Need

When you're in your 20s, it's you against the world. A lot of single 20-somethings who don't have kids yet want something sportier, possibly with only 2 doors, and of course, a lot of power. But in your later 20s and early 30s, things start to slow down a bit. Your priorities shift. Maybe you want to buy a house or start a family. If you want to buy a house and you're doing it alone, you might want a more economical car. Or if you're starting a family, you might want something bigger that's easy to get the kids in and out of. And of course, that might be what it takes to get you to focus on car safety. When you're older and the kids are gone, you might be focusing more on how well the car rides as well as car safety.

Safety Features

Today, automobile manufacturers offer a bevy of safety features. In the past, a lap seatbelt was the best they could do. Then they introduced the lap/shoulder belt. Many drivers think this is uncomfortable, but it's saved many lives. For people who are so in the habit of wearing a seatbelt, they barely even notice it's there.

In the 90s, automakers kicked the car safety issue p a notch with the introduction of automatic seatbelts. In most cases, the lap belt was still there, but you had to go ahead and buckle in there manually. But when you started your car, the automatic seatbelt would belt you in. Most people considered this to be an annoyance, but insurance companies gave discounts to customers whose cars had this feature.

Eventually, antilock brakes were introduced. These prevent your car from sliding when you have to slam on the brakes. They change the way we drive in snow, but it's all for the better.

Another car safety feature that started out as an option in the 90s was the airbag. Eventually these became standard; however, they were not without problems. First of all, it was discovered that children who rode in the passenger side of a car could be severely injured or even killed when an airbag deployed. Therefore, children now must ride in the back seat. These days, airbag injuries are not as common, but in most cases, if you're in an accident that causes your airbags to go off, you aren't complaining about airbag burns. You just feel lucky to be alive.

The latest car safety feature that automakers have introduced is side airbags for t-bone accidents and side collisions. These have only been around for a few years, but they are making cars safer than ever.