Play it safe

If you want the safest vehicle out there today, join the Army. An Abrams tank won’t tip over even if you’re fording a river, and it can take a hit from car as well as a missile.
But they get really lousy gas mileage – worse than a Hummer – they won’t fit in a parking space, and the driver can’t reach the drive-thru window at Starbucks.
Safety means tradeoffs. Generally, larger vehicles are safer than smaller ones. But large cars and trucks also tend to cost more and burn more gas than subcompacts.
So if a tank isn’t on your car-shopping list, try a large car or minivan to maximize safety, says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, one of the agencies that runs crash tests.
“Typically, large cars and minivans are the cars that have the lowest death rates in real-world crashes,” he said. “They have the benefits of size and weight – which protects people in a crash – and are less likely to roll over than SUVs or pickup trucks.”
Of course, one of the best ways to survive and accident is not to get in one. That’s where traction and stability control systems can help. The insurance institute and the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), the folks who give out the stars in crash tests, think so highly of the systems that they recommend electronic stability controls (ESC) be standard equipment in every car sold in America, saying it could save 10,000 lives a year.
On a curve or slippery road, it’s easy to lose control of a vehicle. With ESC, a computer matches your car’s path with where you intended to go by monitoring steering, throttle and brakes. When needed, it can apply the brakes to individual wheels and cut the engine power to avoid skids and rollovers -- and give the driver the ability to maneuver out of trouble.
While ESC now is found mostly on high-end vehicles, the most affordable and widely available options – and often standard equipment -- are antilock brakes and side air bags.
No matter how your vehicle is equipped, who you are and how you drive is just as important to safety.
Insurance statistics show young men, charged with testosterone and beer, are more likely to be involved in more and worse accidents than mature drivers with families, no matter what vehicle they are driving. In fact, data from the insurance institute show that despite being well-equipped for safety, large pickup trucks have higher-than-expected fatality rates. The reason? They tend to be driven by younger men.
And a driver yakking on a cell phone, not paying attention to the road, is more likely to be in an accident. That’s why several state and local governments have banned or restricted cell phone use by drivers.
There are things to look for in a vehicle that can give you a safety edge.
First is size – bigger is better. Big vehicles tend to be heavier, so they’ll take a hit better than a small car. “We can’t repeal the laws of physics,” says the insurance institute’s Rader.
But vehicles can get too big. Rollover accidents are especially dangerous for passengers, and vehicles with a high center of gravity, like pickups and sport utility vehicles, are more prone to tipping.
Big vehicles also tend to have big blind spots, especially to the rear. Increasingly common are rear cameras or sensors that detect if there is someone or something behind you. That’s especially helpful when you’re trying to back up in a crowded parking lot.
Another thing to look for is a car that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under 10 or 11 seconds, says Emunds.com, an auto-information Web site. We’re not talking sports car speed here, but it is enough to merge quickly in high-traffic areas.
Underinflated tires also contribute to a loss of control, but they aren’t always obvious even to those who look each time they get gas. Tire-pressure monitors will flash a dashboard warning light to indicate low pressure. Don’t ignore it; get air in that tire now.
If the worst should happen and you do get hit, advanced frontal air bags are better than the single-stage air bags that have been required for years. Advanced air bags instantly sense occupant size, seat position and crash severity to determine how powerfully to inflate. That can eliminate the problem in older cars, where the force of the air bags’ inflation sometimes was as dangerous as the crash.
Side curtain air bags add another level of head protection for rear-seat occupants, and side-impact air bags protect front-seat occupants in a side crash.
And, finally, consider an emergency crash notification system. General Motors’ OnStar is the most common, but other automakers have their own systems as well. The system can tell when you’ve been in a crash and contacts emergency assistance, even pinpointing your location. These systems also can be used to summon help for a flat tire, breakdown or even unlocking your car if you left the keys inside.
But even the simplest step – and one that the law requires – can do wonders. Buckle your seat belt. It might be a bumpy ride.

By Karl W. Ritzler
Originally posted on divinecaroline.com