No Phil items #1 (antilock brakes) and #2 (traction control), they aren't required by the federal government, nor are Drl's for that matter. nonetheless this doesn't mean that they are not useful safety features that, if you choose to add these features to your car, can proivide a greater degree of safety and protection. this is especially true of antilock brakes when the car is driven in winter climates. as for traction control, to me, it is waste of money.

now regarding LAP seat belts, yes indeed they can do more harm than good and I personally would not purchase an automoblie that doesn't provide 3 point seat belts for ALL of the vehicle passengers.

and finally, regarding air bags: yes, airbags were mandated by NHSTA to protect un-belted drivers/passengers. the airbag standard, as set by NHSTA, was set to protect a un-belted 160 lb male ! we all know what the negative results of airbag deployment on children, small women and men can be, and that is why we now have SECOND GENERATION airbags that do not deploy with the same force as the previous generation airbags did. the previous generation airbags deployed at speeds 200+ MPH and the new 2nd generation deploys at speeds 0f 150 -180 MPH.

also, there is a federal mandate to equip passenger cars with "smart airbags" that will deploy at various different speeds depending on inputs from sensors located in the seats and seat belt latches. these sensors will provide input to the air bag module which will calculate the speed of the airbag deployement based on input from the sensors that will : 1. measure the weight of the passenger/driver, 2. measure the seat position, (distance from away from the airbag ) and 3. whether or not the seat belt is buckled or unbuckled. if I remember correctly, 20% of all 2004 passenger vehicles must be equipped with this smart airbag system during the first part of the phase in period.
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You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be - 2002 V70 stk, /w /tinted windows