Safest Cars Under $30,000

[Rodger Tellefson]

Before you slap down your plastic for a car with anti-lock brakes, rear parking sensors and active head restraints, you'd better make sure it comes with electronic stability control.



Just like seat belts and air bags, ESC is a revolutionary safety feature. But instead of minimizing a driver's impact during a crash, ESC helps avoid it in the first place. It improves handling by detecting skids, then uses the car's braking system to realign errant wheels.



It's so important that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) required a vehicle to come equipped with ESC in order to be considered a 2008 Top Safety Pick. Among the under-$30,000 vehicles named this year: the Honda Accord EX-L Coupe, Kia Sedona EX, Hyundai Santa Fe GLS and the 2009 Subaru Forrester 2.5X.



"We've seen ESC reduce fatalities by as much as half in some instances," said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Virginia-based IIHS. "ESC is especially great at reducing the fatalities for single-car crashes."

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The 2nd gen. ST has ESC, if I recall correctly.

 

[EddieS'04]

My wifes '08 escape has ESC and a full compliment of 6 air bags standard.



edit; hmm, the escape is not in the list.

 

[Gavin Allan]

My '07 trac and my wife's Outback both have the side airbags and stability control.



Wouldn't leave home without them!

 

[Tom Schindler]

I have been driving for 19 years and never needed them. I am one of those people that know how to drive.





Tom

 

[A K]

Tom,



For the most part, I agree. There are those 1% situations where the truly unexpected and unprepared for occurs. For the other 99%, if you can't drive it, don't buy it, and if you can't drive in it, stay home.

 

[Rob Allen]

The only thing that drives me crazy about the track is the automatic 4wd. Seems like very time I hit a bump or pothole it kicks in. I wish we could turn that off.