When shopping for a car, don't only focus on its features. You also have to take note on its safety add-ons. Keep in mind that your life is always at risk every time you drive, whether the fault is yours or not. Though a seatbelt is always no.1 safety feature in a car, you can always up your chances of survival with other security gadgets.

The A-B-S of Brakes

Brakes are very important in a car. This will allow you to stop yourself from accelerating and prevent yourself from slamming your bumper into another car. However, there are also accidents indirectly caused by brakes too. That's why there are car manufacturers who are adding antilock braking systems into their automobiles. What does it do? It prevents the wheels from being locked, which, in turn, may lead to skidding and sliding of your cars in the road. A good example is when you're going to step on the brake when you're going to make a blind curve. The problem when your automobile doesn't have this feature is that when you are going to step on the brake and the pedal gets jammed, you will likely lock the wheel and totally lose your control.

If you happen to purchase a car that doesn't have one, you can always opt to add the ABS. Nevertheless, you're going to shed some few bucks, between $250 and $300.

Going Electric for Stability

Do you know that there are around 9,000 deaths and more than 200,000 injuries caused by road accidents? These are trucks and cars that have lost their control because they drivers didn't know that their tires are actually slipping.

The purpose of the electronic stability control is to provide you of a sensor, which will inform you if you happen to be in this type of situation. It will allow your car to remain in its right course but cuts off the throttle once there is already tire slip that's going to happen. The stability control, moreover, will apply on the brakes to prevent your car from skidding and going out of control.

In the year 2012, expect all cars to be equipped with this safety feature. After all, this has already been mandated by the government. In the meantime, you can simply purchase a car with an ESC in it. Or else, spend as high as $2,000.

It's the Air Bags

Almost all vehicles have air bags. These are the things that pop up once your car is being hit. This will protect your head and neck from severe injuries. However, majority of airbags are located at the front, not at the side. Thus, when a car hits you at the door, you're putting yourself in grave danger of being stuck with a bent metal or hit with shards of glass. To make sure that you won't be suffering from too much injuries, especially in the delicate areas, car makers have added side-impact airbags.

You cannot afford to place yourself in danger even when you're in your car. Get yourself protected.