There are two organizations that crash test vehicles and rate their relative safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The NHTSA, a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, sets and enforces safety standards for vehicles, investigates vehicle defects, and performs the best-known crash tests. The NHTSA website, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/, provides access to the crash test scores and plenty of consumer information about recalls and safety issues. NHTSA rates vehicle safety with a star system, with five stars being the safest.

The IIHS and its Vehicle Research Center work to prevent motor vehicle accidents and reduce injuries in accidents by crash testing vehicles and analyzing the data. IIHS members -- major insurance companies -- make the tests public knowledge, which prods auto manufacturers to design better cars and trucks. The IIHS website, http://www.hwysafety.org, allows consumers to view side-by-side comparisons of crash tests performed on a wide range of makes and models. The IIHS rates vehicle safety as good, acceptable, marginal or poor.

Passenger and driver-side dual airbags are now required in all vehicles sold in the United States. Recent advances in airbag technology have introduced side air bags that tests show are effective in preventing the driver and passengers from hitting their heads on rigid areas of the vehicle in side impact collisions. There are three designs of these airbags, a tubular airbag that inflates from the roof, a curtain design that employs from the roof or an airbag deployed from the seat, inflating forward and up.

Because the force of airbag deployment has the potential to injure a child or small-stature adult, many vehicles now come equipped with an airbag shut-off switch. This kill switch is most commonly found in late-model pickup trucks and two-seat roadsters/sport cars.

Antilock Braking Systems eliminate the need to "pump the brakes" when you have to stop quickly, preventing you from locking the wheels and skidding. Because ABS pumps the brakes for you, you can apply constant pressure on the brake pedal and concentrate on steering the car. This allows you to regain control during inclement weather or quickly avoid a collision. ABS is available for nearly all new cars and trucks and is standard equipment on many. Truck buyers should check to make sure the feature comes on all four wheels.

This feature is especially important to parents installing child safety seats. ALR/ELR seatbelts are designed to take up slack in the belt automatically and to lock in place when the passenger or child safety seat moves forward at a higher than normal rate of speed. When installing a child safety seat, these seatbelts must be as tight as possible.

Remember when your parents backed over your bike in the driveway? This system prevents just such occurrences. A proximity sensor in the rear portion of the vehicle senses when the vehicle gets too close to an object and warns the driver. This feature is an option on many mini-vans and larger sized SUVs

Now referred to as the LATCH "Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children" system, the new safety seat tethers make it easier for parents to know they have installed a child safety seat correctly. Tether straps attach the safety seat to the rear shelf of the car and rear seat belt area. The LATCH system will be required on all new vehicles by September 1, 2002. Requires a LATCH-compatible child safety seat.

Auto manufacturers have introduced this safety feature to deflect the force of a side-impact collision away from the head area and toward the legs. This is achieved by keeping the top portion of the vehicle's side post more rigid and allowing the lower portion to move inward.

Crumple zones are one of the most underrated safety features in modern vehicles. Automotive Engineers have designed the body parts of a vehicle to crumple in predetermined patterns to absorb the energy from a crash's impact and maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment, keeping the driver and passengers safer.

An Electronic Stability System coordinates the ABS, Traction Control, and the "yaw" of your vehicle (how much a car rocks side-to-side). The individual systems are combined in an effort to reduce tire spinning, skidding, and tractionless cornering, keeping your tires in maximum contact with the road. Found mostly on luxury models, stability systems are slowly working their way into more vehicles.

The system is designed to lower the number whiplash injuries. Most vehicles simply have what is commonly referred to as a headrest that keeps the head from whipping back after a rear impact. More advanced systems allow the back of the seat and headrest to move down and back upon a rear impact, lessening the forward motion and cutting down on head and neck injuries.

Impact absorbing interior materials provide padding and cushioning on dashboards and armrests to cut down on the bumps and bruises caused by crashes.

A built-in child's booster seat, which usually folds down in the center of the rear seat, comes as an option on many family size vehicles. Although convenient, integrated child booster seats may offer less protection than store bought child booster and child safety seats. Also, to insure comfort and a snug fit, have your child test the seat before purchasing this option.

This little gadget provides a display of the dashboard instruments on the inside of your windshield and will make you feel like a jet fighter pilot. The pros and cons of this feature are mainly of personal taste and comfortableness of using the display. The luxury version option available on Cadillac models incorporates night-vision technology that allows the driver to see further down the road than the headlights illuminate.

While ABS helps you maintain control while braking, traction control helps you do so while accelerating. Traction control stops the spin of a wheel -- due to wet conditions, loose gravel or an overzealous foot -- by braking it, reducing the fuel or cutting spark plug ignitions (depending on your system). This insures maximum contact between your tires and the road.