And industry experts say that trend is likely to continue into the new century. That's a radical change from the days when consumers shunned the newest safety features as experimental, expensive gadgets with unproven benefits. GM has found in its research that safety is second only to price in purchasing decisions. In rating the auto companies, consumers ranked safety third in importance after price and service, the recent GM survey shows. Beyond marketing considerations, costly litigation battles have persuaded major automakers to cram their highest-selling vehicles and their luxury brands with as much safety equipment as possible, which in turn has focused even more attention on safety.
Safety is now something people want and expect in an automobile.
This past year offered ample proof that automakers are listening. For instance, DaimlerChrysler AG introduced built-in child seats in some of its vehicles and launched a comprehensive program to instruct consumers on proper installation and use of child seats. Today, auto-related deaths have reached historic lows in part because of such engineering improvements. Still, there is good reason for continuing consumer concerns about car safety. Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for people ages 5 to 29.