Car shopping is full of many micro decisions. What color car looks the best? Which model gets the best gas mileage? What is the sticker price and then what is the cash price? These are just a few things that the average person considers when they are shopping for a new Vehicle. A lot of people seem to overlook one very important thing and that is Safety.

In the year 2011, over 32,000 people were killed in car accidents. These statistics were not in one certain area of the country and they did not include one age group. These statistics were a national average and people from all walks of life were affected. These statistics are not pleasant by any means, but they are the hard facts. Safety should be the very first decision that anyone makes when they are thinking about purchasing a new car and using car transporters to get it home. Purchasing a vehicle that ranks as one of the safest in the country can help save lives. Here are what many consider to be the five Safest Cars in America.

Ford Fiesta

Smaller cars have not always been known to be the safest cars on the planet, but that has started to change and the Ford Fiesta is living proof. Engineers are getting better at packing the Safety Features into these smaller cars; the Ford Fiesta offers more “hot air” than any other vehicle in its class. It has driver’s knee bags and side airbags in addition to the regular airbags. Over 50 percent of the frame is made from some of the strongest steel in the industry. These two facts have helped the Ford Fiesta become one of the safest small cars on the planet.

Honda Civic

The Honda Civic is already one of the best-selling compact cars in the United States and now it is known as one of the safest cars as well. The Honda Civic certainly goes the extra mile for protection. While every measure has been made to help protect everyone in the car, the Honda Civic has also been designed to help protect pedestrians during accidents. The Honda Civic also has some great safety features that are included in the standard models, i.e. anti-lock brakes.

Toyota Sienna

The Toyota Sienna has not always been known to be the safest vehicle on the road, and because of that, the engineers at Toyota have gone back to the drawing board for safety. The Toyota Sienna is loaded with technology that has been designed to make driving safer. The Sienna features the world’s first 180-degree view panoramic rear camera. This helps to eliminate blind spots, which are a huge cause of accidents on the interstate, as any driver can attest to. The Sienna also features a radar system that scans the road for potential problems. If the radar system encounters an obstacle in the road, it preps the brakes to help ensure the Sienna stops quickly and safely.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

There are not many SUVs that are known for safety and Jeep aims to change that with the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is loaded with safety features that turn heads. There are full-length side curtain airbags, side thorax airbags and head restraints. When the terrain gets rough, the Jeep Grand Cherokee really shines with safety options like: trailer sway control, four wheel anti-lock brakes, four wheel drive capabilities and stability control. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is keeping people safe during on and off-road situations.

Volvo XC60

The Volvo name has always been synonymous with safety and it continues that trend with the Volvo XC60. This vehicle has a huge list of safety features that come standard. There is a laser collision detection system that will automatically apply the brakes to prevent collisions. Don’t worry though, this safety feature only works when you are driving at 20 miles per hour and under. If you are driving faster than this, then a collision warning system is deployed, alerting the driver of a possible crash. The collision system can then be set to automatically stop or slow down the vehicle. These are just a few of the standard safety features that can be found on the Volvo XC60. There are quite a few others:  rollover sensors, blind spot warnings and hill descent warnings.

While over 32,000 people were killed in car crashes during 2011, safety features like the ones mentioned on all of the vehicles above will hopefully make that number smaller in 2012. Even if you don’t own one of these models, no matter what your car is, having the right parts, such as proper Volkswagen Jetta parts or Mercedes-Benz parts, and meeting up-to-date standards can help a great deal as well.

About the Author:  Mike Schuller is a contributing author who works in the Vehicle Safety Inspection Department at his DMV. Besides keeping drivers safe, he enjoys finding auto parts for his Jetta in his spare time.