- 100,000 miles is the equivalent of going around our planet four times.
- If you were planning for such a long trip, would you really expect it to be a smooth ride, without a hitch, without any sort of accident?
- If you were thinking of the number of passengers - kids, grandparents, friends, colleagues - you'd be carrying in your auto, wouldn't it make sense to think about its safety features, along with the mileage, comfort, engine power and color?
- If you would reflect on the time you will spend driving this car - at an average speed of 40 mph, 100,000 miles mean 2,500 hours or almost 313 days of 8-hours-per-day driving - wouldn't you give a little more value to your own safety, and have a close look at the car's safety rating?
Safety ratings: what should you look for?
The subject is too vast to be discussed in a few words. First of all, there are excellent websites on the crashworthiness and safety features of most models marketed in Florida, resulting in ratings that make comparisons easy.
Second, you should know what is important, so you can go to the point and avoid getting bogged down in technical details. What is important?
Vehicle type and category: Start your research by selecting the type of vehicle you want to buy. There is a huge budget and usage difference between a Ford F-150, a Chrysler 300 or a Chevrolet Cobalt. You can then limit your study to the category you have selected.
Crashworthiness: The way a car reacts to side, front and rear impacts. This is essential in multiple vehicle crashes.
Rollover testing: A combination of measurements of how "top-heavy" the vehicle is and how vulnerable it is to tipping up in a severe turning maneuver. Rollover accidents are lethal and very frequent for certain types of vehicles.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC): According to NHTSA estimates, ESC reduces single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 26 percent and of SUVs by 48 percent.
Side Air Bags: These are crucial in side-impact crashes. Here again, NHTSA studies have shown that between 700 and 1,000 lives could be saved every year if all vehicles were outfitted with side air bags.
Other recent safety features include tire pressure monitoring systems, forward crash warning and lane departure warning. Look at your budget again and decide if, on your next long journey around the globe, you need more gadgets to distract you, or gadgets to save your life.
The Daytona Beach car accident attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert are dedicated to the safety of their clients. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash in Central or North Florida, call us today toll free at (800) 556-8890 and locally at (386) 673-4412 or fill out the form on this page for a free consultation.