Safety Features Worth Buying
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When buying your car, you may or may not think about a safety feature or two that you want to add on, but you should. While many additions to vehicles fall into the category of accessories, there are several that can actually make you and your family much safer. To give you an idea of the features that are worth buying, let’s take a look at a few.
Seat Belts
Okay, so you’re probably wondering why a safety feature that clearly comes with every vehicle would be added to the list. The reason is that there is more than one type of seat belt to consider. You can buy the adjustable upper belt which allows you to change the position of the belt to accommodate a person’s size. Or you can purchase the rear center seat lap/shoulder belt, which is great for older children who are seated in the middle position in the back.
Head Injury Protection
Another safety feature that’s worth considering when buying your car is head injury protection. It consists of foam – or another type of energy-absorbing material – that rests underneath the trim of the vehicle’s interior. There are variations of this type of protection and they are meant to help protect the head against the trauma of head-on crashes, rollovers, and more.
Traction Control
Traction control is another great safety feature to think about purchasing. This feature improves your vehicle’s stability by controlling how much the drive wheels can slip when you accelerate. It comes with automatic adjusters to apply braking force when accelerating, if needed. Traction control is typically available with four-wheel anti-lock brake systems.
Adding the right features to your vehicle can make the difference in you and your family’s security. However, it’s good to keep in mind that every safety feature that you accept when buying your car will be added to the total price of your vehicle – as well as your monthly payment – so you’ll want to choose with care before adding to your car loan.