While scouting your next car purchase you have to prioritize certain car aspects above others depending on your personal preference and what you deem as most important. However, even though skimping on luxury is not all that unreasonable skimping on safety kit certainly is.
This means that whatever the car you opt for is, it also needs to be safe because that’s arguably the most important aspect of them all. Even though most people never get in trouble and they don’t have to rely on essential safety aspects such as airbag deployment or effective crumple zones, features such as software accident prevention are something you will use on a daily basis.
A great example of such a system is blind-spot monitoring, a system designed to monitor your blind spot so you can always be sure you are safe to perform a lane change. These systems are fairly common on modern-era automobiles but some of them are rated higher than others.
As such, be sure to check out the 2016 Honda Accord LX, the 2016 Honda Civic EX, the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS, the 2016 Honda Fit EX, and the 2016 Ford Focus SE if you want to strike a perfect balance between advanced blind spot assist systems and a great all-around platform at an affordable price.
2016 Honda Accord LX
The 2016 Honda Accord LX is a great all-around mid-size sedan as far as most modern car features are concerned. This means that the Accord LX is affordable, spacious, practical, and efficient all at the same time. Furthermore, it also comes with a Honda Sensing safety package which offers advanced blind-spot monitoring systems.
According to IIHS safety testing the 2016 Accord is superior to most cars out there because it won the Top Safety Pick+ grade which means that it’s safe from an engineering standpoint while also offering superior safety software features.
2016 Honda Civic EX
Both the Honda Civic and the Honda Accord are built on a similar chassis which means that both of these offer comparable safety credentials. The 2016 Civic also comes with Honda’s Sensing safety package which also includes blind-spot monitoring.
The Civic also reigns supreme as far as IIHS safety testing is concerned which means that it certainly is a tempting proposition. Both the Civic and the Accord are selling like crazy which means that these two Honda models are the best ones to buy as far as non-SUV Honda models are concerned.
2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
The 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS is one of the cheapest ways how you can enjoy having an advanced blind spot monitoring system in a mid-size sedan. Furthermore, the Cruze also offers a nicely designed interior with lots of passenger and cubby spaces all around.
There are many different trim levels you can choose from but you should look for the LS model if you want to enjoy many advanced safety systems. Finally, the Cruze is also an incredibly fuel-efficient vehicle and you should be both safe and comfortable if you opt for one.
2016 Honda Fit EX
You don’t even have to upgrade to a large car these days in order to enjoy an advanced driver assistance package. Even the compact 2016 Honda Fit is available with the aforementioned Honda Sensing Package which comes with advanced blind-spot monitoring.
Besides being safe, the Honda Fit is competitively priced which means that it’s also a cheap entry point into advanced software safety system-equipped cars. The Honda Fit mostly tailors towards urban city environments even though it can hold its own both in the city and on the highway.
2016 Ford Focus SE
Hatchbacks are not necessarily the most popular cars in the US but that does not mean that owning one is anything less than amply enjoyable. The 2016 Ford Focus is one of the most beloved Focus models to ever be released which also made it a great used car a few years later.
Even though the 2016 Focus SE is available at a very tempting price it does not mean that it lacks essential safety features such as advanced blind-spot monitoring. The 2016 Ford Focus SE also earned superior safety results both from a software and an engineering standpoint.
FAQ Section
What makes a car safe?
The most important aspect of car safety is a designated and experienced driver and no system out there can save you if you are not 100% on your surroundings while driving. However, modern-day cars come with lots of clever engineering and software features which are intended to minimize the risks of being in an accident.
Besides the human factor, the most important safety factors are effective crumple zones and crash protection, airbags, and seatbelts. These are also followed with ABS, anti-skid protection, and ADAS like blind-spot monitoring, AEB, active lane assist, collision prevention systems, and cross-traffic alert systems.
Are cars becoming safer?
As the industry keeps progressing at a fast rate cars are indeed becoming increasingly safer because they are now equipped with a plethora of safety systems that were not present a few years ago. However, modern-day cars are quite heavy which poses a lot of questions from a safety standpoint, especially if you consider pedestrians.
Either way, modern-day cars are indeed safer because they are packed with all sorts of safety devices. Current crash test regulations mandate many of such features to become standard in every car which also boosts overall in-car safety.
Which types of cars are the safest?
SUVs, minivans, large sedans, and pick-up trucks are the safest cars on the market because they are both heavy and well isolated from the road. This means that the distance between a foreign object crashing into the vehicle and yourself is much greater than it is if you were to be in a hatchback.
Some studies even suggest that driving an SUV lowers your overall chances of dying inside a car by up to 50%. Either way, the better the driver the safer the car so always be sure to be on top of your game while driving no matter how benevolent the situation may seem.
