Auto Makers Charge Extra for Safety Features
Side air bags and electronic stability control are two of the most effective safety features available on new cars. The good news is that the federal safety agency is requiring auto makers to equip cars with side air bags by the 2010 model year and stability control by the 2012 model year.
The bad news is that buyers must buy expensive additional option packages, or even a more expensive model, to get these features. As reported by Cheryl Jensen in February 20, 2009, edition of the NY Times, a person buying a 2008 Nissan Altima 4-cylinder car would have to move up to the V-6 and buy the technology package for an added cost of $5,000 to $6,000.
Ms Jensen points out that even Honda, a leader in car safety, does not offer stability control on the basic 2009 Honda Fit and Insight models.
