Even with new models and advancing technology each year from automakers, it's still important to ask; are you buying a safe car? First things first; do your research online.
 

All makes and models go through safety testing with “testing dummies” to see the success of safety features. In both “frontal and side impact tests, the dummies are instrumented and measurements recorded to gauge the forces to the dummy's head, neck, chest, and femurs,” (How to Buy a Safe Vehicle, Larry Coben, thesafereport.com).  Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provide comparison ratings for frontal and side impact tests as well as roof strength to weight ratio. These sites often rate on a star scale, five stars being the highest and safest, one being the lowest and least safe.  Regarding frontal crash protection the government established a head injury criteria (HIC) stating that any score above 1000 is unacceptable at 30mph into a wall, in regards to this testing, lower is safer.  Beyond front and side impact tests, roof strength to weight is vital considering that 25% of all fatal and catastrophic injuries are rollover accidents. In this instance the higher the ratio the stronger the roof, for more info on this visit www.iihs.org/ratings/roof.

Beyond testing scores, there are some safety features that should always  be at the top of the list: seat belts that go over the lap AND shoulder, seat belts built into the seats and/or with belt retractors, laminated door glass, rollover and side airbags, and adjustable headrests, (How to Buy a Safe Vehicle, Larry Coben,  thesafetyreport.com). When it comes time to actual purchase your new car make sure to have an onsite inspection, gauge the comfort and fit of seat belt, check that each seat has a head rest, and if available a camera monitor behind the vehicle which provides drivers with more visibility when backing up.
 

One ultimate safety feature that will be required in all make and models in 2012 is the Electronic Stability Control (ESC). ESC is “a computer technology that helps drivers control their vehicles; used in the steering wheel to determine what the driver is trying to do and using other sensors to determine whether the vehicle is turning the way the driver wants it to turn,” (ESC: An Essential Safety Choice, Michael Cowen, thesafetyreport.com).  What does it prevent? A driver from losing control and running off the road, prevents loss of control when getting back on the road and maintains control in wet and icy conditions. How does it do it? In the event of a vehicle about to skid, “the computer system estimates the direction of the skid, and then applies the brakes to individual wheels to stop the skid and make the vehicle travel in the direction the driver intended,” (ESC: An Essential Safety Choice, Michael Cowen, thesafetyreport.com).  The system works great so says several studies, ESC will save more lives than any other safety technology other than the seat belt. The NHTSA estimates that ESC would save between 5,000 and 10,000 lives and would prevent up to 250,000 injuries a year. Studies conducted by the federal government found that ESC prevents 88% of rollover accidents in both trucks and SUVs. However, ESC has remained a luxury feature until recently in 2008, and still not all makes and models are installed with the system. Also, each automaker uses different terminology when listing ESC in their features, making it a bit more difficult for consumers to recognize when purchasing a new vehicle (See list of other names for ESC below). ESC will be equipped in all U.S. models sold as due to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126 as enacted by the federal government, happening in 2012. For more information on car safety and test ratings visit www.IIHS.org and www.NHTSA.org.
 

Other names for Electronic Stability Control (ESC):
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• StabiliTrak
• Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
• Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
• Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
• Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control