Tips for Buying a Safe Vehicle
Safety is without a doubt one of the biggest and most pressing issues to consider when purchasing a new or used vehicle. How do consumers know if the vehicles they are purchasing can stand up to the myriad dangers of the open road?
The bottom line is that there's really no safety guarantee when it comes to cars. However, there are a lot of things to keep in mind and investigate when shopping for a vehicle that will give prospective buyers peace of mind once they hit the road.
1. A good first step -- even before consulting consumer reports on safe vehicles -- is to talk to friends and family about which cars on the market they feel are the safest based on their personal experiences. If no one can provide sound advice, check message boards online for information pertaining to automobile safety.
2. Next, begin combing consumer safety reports and newspaper articles for information on any automobiles of interest. Pay particular attention to crash data when doing this research.
3. After deciding on a particular vehicle, go and check out the car in person. Inspect the car closely and be sure the vehicle has front and side air bags, the most up-to-date seatbelt features, superior traction control and antilock brakes, to name a few important safety features.
4. The weight of the car is very important. Heavier vehicles tend to fare better in crash tests than lighter vehicles, as lighter vehicles tend to tip over more easily.
5. Take the car for a test drive. Focus on how the vehicle handles and how quickly and easily it accelerates and stops. Test the seatbelts to make sure they are working properly. If possible, bring someone along for a second opinion. This could be a salesperson, spouse or friend. Many times people become intensely focused on buying a particular car based solely on its aesthetic appeal. Try to keep in mind that what matters most is how safe the car is, not the look of it. Having someone in the passenger seat when test driving a car should help the buyer keep this in mind.