Statistically you are more likely to suffer an untimely death or permanent disability on the road than anywhere else in your life.

Vehicle manufacturers have been improving the safety features of vehicles for many years now. Initially they added safety features because it was required by law. The introduction of seat belts was one of the earliest examples of this. In today's society manufacturers recognize that buyers are willing to pay a premium for safety and as new features are designed they can be optioned in to the purchase of a new car.

The more safety features a car has, the greater the rating the car achieves for safety. These features have nothing to do with performance, energy efficiency or environmental health. Their singular purpose is to keep the occupants of the vehicle safe.

Vehicle safety features are designed to do one of two things. The first is to minimize the physical impact of a crash on the occupants. Air bags and crumple zones are good examples of this type of safety feature.

More recently safety feature design has concentrated on designing features which compensate for a lack of driver skills and reduce the risk of a crash occurring. Anti-lock braking systems and electronic stability control are examples of this second type of feature.

Despite all the current safety features available and in use today, crashes continue to occur. Many of these could be avoided if drivers had more safety awareness.

Driving is a relatively simple, manual task to undertake. We can go through the motions of getting from one place to another while thinking about our upcoming vacation, shaving, eating and even drinking a coffee. A six year-old has the manual dexterity required and could be taught to drive.

Being safe while driving however requires much more than the physical ability to start, maneuver and stop a car. It requires a much higher level of complex thought and concentration than a six year-old or coffee drinking, cell phone talking adult can muster.

A driver who is safety aware will know the basic skills demonstrated in a license test are not enough, and that these skills are built upon through experience over different terrains, in all types of weather. They will adjust their driving to compensate for new experiences.

They will know the capability of their vehicle. A safety aware four wheel drive owner will not attempt to round a bend at the same speed as a sports car.

Safety aware drivers expect the unexpected. They scan the roadsides and the road ahead as they move along. They see the children playing on the sidewalk and are ready to take evasive action when they run out in front of them. They see the car speeding toward the intersection up ahead and are prepared to stop even if they have right of way.

Vehicle safety continues to improve with every new model released, but even the best will not prevent a crash or its devastating effects if the driver is just going through the motions.

Learn more about this author, Marie Hurley.
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