Some of America's favorite, bestselling vehicles are about to get safer.
Advanced driver assistance systems like collision alert and autonomous emergency braking are increasingly common in affordable, high-volume cars and SUVs at the heart of the market.
"Our surveys show shoppers increasingly want more technology that assists in making them better, safer drivers," Autotrader executive analyst Michelle Krebs said. "They feel some features should be standard, but are willing to pay extra for more advanced systems."
After resisting safety regulations for a couple of generations, automakers have learned that being perceived as a safety leader is good for business.
We've come a long way since the days when auto execs would intone "people won't pay for safety" as if it were carved in stone when Moses came down from the mountain.
Legendary Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca fiercely resisted mandatory front air bags. He swore they'd make new cars too expensive for the average Joe, then became air bags' most ardent pitchman when he realized people would happily pay for a feature with proven safety benefits.
Subaru, Honda and Toyota capitalized on this early. They created proprietary names for suites of safety systems and offered them to popular models ahead of the competition. Subaru EyeSight, Honda Sensing and Toyota Safety Sense, which include features like autonomous emergency braking, blind spot alert and road-sign recognition, have become a core part of the companies' branding and sales pitch.
These features will prevent accidents and save lives.
