Over the past five or six years one of the areas of car safety that has improved is whiplash protection and neck injury. Leading safety advocates like Saab and Volvo came up with ‘active’ headrests over a decade ago. These stayed at a comfortable distance from the back of occupant’s skulls, but in the event the car being rear-ended, moved forward to reduce the gap between the person and seat—dramatically reducing the incident of neck injuries. The IHSS found a 43% reduction from Saab’s system, which is astounding. So effective were they that our government decided we all needed to be protected, and 2009 vehicles have to either have active restraints or headrests that basically press on the back of occupant’s heads at all times. Now, I’m all for passive safety—especially when there’s rarely anything one can do when someone careens into the back of your car. But the implementation of these laws varies so widely it behooves consumers to make sure they can live with what the manufacturers have done. Some do it right: even inexpensive cars from Kia and Hyundai have active headrests that stay out of your way until there’s a crash; they use ...

With all the technology being thrown at cars, trucks, and SUVs these days, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Herein some personal opinions on what’s worthy of your respect and dough, and what’s simply overkill or marketing manipulation. I’m using generic or commonly accepted terminology for these, as the manufacturers love to come up with their own labels and acronyms. SMART KEY: A key that you can keep in your pocket; usually the doors lock and unlock based upon your proximity to the vehicle. This is indeed a wonderful feature, especially if, like me, your hands always seem full when you’re climbing in and out. A ‘start/stop’ button fires the motor and turns it off. Companies like Nissan offer this all the way down to basic models, while BMW charges extra. TREAT. REMOTE START: Another legitimate life-improver: hot day? Let the A/C take the cool the cockpit while you sit in your office. It’s a safety feature in winter, as you can thoroughly de-ice the windows before you head out on the road. The eco-warriors wont like the fossil fuel you’re burning to do so, but a car ...