The Car Seat Lady

Buying a Safer Car

Article Index
Buying a Safer Car
Electronic Stability Control
Side Airbags
The LATCH System
Head Restraints
Cargo Barriers
Safety Belts
What to Avoid
Vehicle Comparisons

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When buying a vehicle (new or used) it's important to make sure that it will be safe for everyone - the kids & the adults.

Crash Test Ratings
Two separate government agencies - NHTSA and IIHS - offer crash test ratings for new and older vehicles. Both try to determine a vehicle's crash worthiness using multiple parameters. The frontal crash done by IIHS is more stringent (10mph faster and off-center), which explains the sometimes discrepant results between the two sites.

Must-Have Safety Features
Deciding which vehicle to buy can be overwhelming, but here are some must-have safety features that might help narrow down your list. The Car Seat Lady feels that 3 features are non-negotiables (i.e. if the vehicle doesn't have it, I wouldn't buy it). These are Electronic Stabilization Control, Side Airbags, and Adequate Cargo Space and are detailed below. Other features to look for are head restraints, safety belts, the LATCH system, and cargo barriers.

Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)

Like most people, you have probably never heard of this technology - but it's expected to save more lives than the invention of the seat belt. Why? Because it PREVENTS crashes from happening in the first place! If all vehicles were equipped with ESC, one third of all fatal accidents could be prevented each year!

In-depth ESC info

Side-Impact Airbags (SABs)

The best SABs are those that offer head protection to the front AND back seat passengers. Visit this website from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to learn which vehicles offer side airbags. When you find a vehicle you're interested in, click on the "view details" button to learn about which type of side airbags are featured in that vehicle.

In-depth airbag discussion

Adequate cargo space

Keeping cargo in the passenger area just isn't safe. Things (objects, people, etc) become very heavy in a crash - they will weigh their usual weight TIMES the speed of the crash. For example, a 10 lb baby in a 30mph crash will weigh 300 lbs! Unrestrained people and objects will fly around in a crash - becoming missiles that can injure the other people in the car. Make sure you have enough trunk space so that cargo stays out of the passenger area. If you're buying a vehicle with a 3rd row, it is ideal to keep the third row up, allowing it to serve as a barrier between the cargo and the passengers in the 2nd row.

More about cargo

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