Car Safety Features That Save You Money
Learn about car safety features and how they may help reduce accidents and theft – meaning fewer claims and more savings for you.
Anti-Theft System
How it works:
Electronic mobilizers: An electronic security device installed in a vehicle to prevent the engine from running unless the correct key is being used
Car alarm:
- Passive alarm activates automatically when the vehicle is turned off and the doors are closed, issuing an audible alert when someone breaks the vehicle’s glass or attempts to enter without a key
- Active alarm activates when the driver arms the vehicle by turning the system on, typically by clicking a button on a remote1
Vehicle recovery device: A tracking system that allows law enforcement to locate a stolen vehicle
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
How it works:
Initiates automatic braking, usually to individual wheels, to help prevent spinning out2
Doesn’t increase traction, but helps the driver to maintain control of their vehicle during extreme steering maneuvers3
Passive Restraint
How it works:
Devices such as seat belts and airbags activate by force of a collision or other sudden stop to help prevent injury to drivers and passengers
Forward-Collision Warning Technology
How it works:
Alerts drivers with visual or audible signals when a car or object is directly in their path
Adaptive headlights
How it works:
Electronic sensors respond to the driver’s steering to direct light around curves
Increases visibility while driving at night or in low-light conditions
Your car may already be equipped to save you money on auto insurance. If your vehicle has even one of these five car safety features – anti-theft device or system, electronic stability control (ESC), passive restraint, forward-collision warning technology or adaptive headlights – you may qualify for discounts.1
Drivers want to protect their vehicles while keeping their passengers safe. Insurance companies want to help reduce the number of claims their customers experience. That’s why many insurers reward drivers who prioritize car safety features with lower policy premiums. Aside from potentially earning you discounts, here’s how these safety features in cars may protect drivers on the road:
- In 2020, more than three-quarters of a million vehicles were stolen in the United States, making an anti-theft system a sound investment.1
- Between 2008 and 2015, an estimated 9,000 lives were saved by ESC in the United States.2
- Front airbags, a type of passive restraint, reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by 29% and fatalities of front-seat passengers age 13 and older by 32%.3
- Forward-collision warning technology reduces rear-end crashes by 50%.4
- 75% of pedestrian fatalities happen in the dark, which adaptive headlights can help reduce.5
While these car safety features can’t prevent accidents or losses from happening, they may lessen the severity of the event, especially when paired with defensive driving practices. Contact your insurance company to learn if these discounts are available to you.
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1Vehicle Theft Prevention, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2021.
225 years of Bosch ESP: no more skidding, 2020.
3Airbags, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2022.
4Crashes Avoided: Front Crash Prevention Slashes Police-Reported Rear-End Crashes, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
5Safer headlights coming as traffic fatalities skyrocket, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2022.