A common priority for car buyers is the safety capacity of a vehicle. Most consumers interested in purchasing a new or used vehicle will show up on the car lot and ask the dealer about the safety components and protective potential of the car in question, but it’s important that the customer not leave the safety qualities of the car totally up to the bias of the dealer.

There are several safety features that you should insist upon when looking for a vehicle to purchase.

Begin doing your homework about a car’s safety capacity online. There are a variety of websites, including the manufacturer’s own site, that can offer valuable information about an automobile’s crash test ratings. Edmunds.com offers insight into what a car buyer should look for:

Specifically, look for a four- or five-star crash test rating (for both front- and side-impact tests) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 40-mph frontal offset and side-impact tests.

Cars have come a long way in the advancement of added safety features. Even airbags manufactured in newer vehicles are much safer than those of our parent’s automobiles.