You Want A Safer Car in Wisconsin: What Should You Look For?

Most people in Wisconsin who consider buying a new car expect it to last for years and ride 100,000 miles or more. That is the equivalent of circling the planet four times. It is worth looking at the new car's safety features before heading for such a long trip.

What safety features should you look for?

The subject is vast, and has many implications. To make it simpler, there are excellent websites on the crashworthiness and safety features of passenger vehicles marketed in Illinois and Wisconsin, and safety ratings make comparisons a lot easier.

Let us look at what is important:

Vehicle Type: To make your research more efficient, you should limit your comparison to one type of vehicle. Decide first if you want to drive a pickup truck, SUV, sports car or sedan, then look at the safety ratings within the chosen category.

Crashworthiness: The way the vehicle's metal structure reacts to front, side and rear impacts and protects occupants.

Rollover Testing: A combination of measurements on how top-heavy the vehicle is and how prone it is to tipping up in a severe turning maneuver.

Front and Side Air Bags: Most vehicles have front airbags but side air bags, crucial in case of side impact, are often optional. Make sure to include them in your new car.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC): This system prevents loss of control when the vehicle is sliding and skidding. According to a NHTSA study, ESC reduces single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 26 percent and of SUVs by 48 percent.

There are more optional or standard safety features on most new cars, like tire pressure monitoring systems, forward crash warning and lane departure warning. Have a close look at your budget and decide what you will need on your next long journey around the globe.

If you have been hurt in a Wisconsin or Illinois car accident, contact Hupy & Abraham, S.C. today at 800-800-5676 (toll-free) or 414-223-4800 (local) for a free evaluation of your case, or send us an e-mail with your questions. Hupy & Abraham has offices in Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton in Wisconsin, and Gurnee and Bloomington in Illinois.