The Acura RL and Infiniti M have more advanced safety features than other vehicles, according to the Q1 Quarterly QuickView report from Autobytel Inc.'s Automotive Information Center (AIC) division.
The Acura RL offers collision mitigation braking, brake/seatbelt accident prep and laser-guided cruise control while the Infiniti M has brake/seatbelt accident prep, laser-guided cruise control and a lane departure warning system. Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E-Class, CLS-Class, and SL-Class vehicles and Lexus IS, GS and LS models offer two of the safety features AIC tracks (brake/seatbelt accident prep and laser-guided cruise control). Less than 10% of the year's available trims included the safety features AIC studied.
AIC also researched new digital features to decrease driver distractions when using MP3 and DVD players. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving behaviors are responsible for 20% to 30% of all traffic crashes. AIC analysts looked at navigation systems with traffic alerts, which remove the need for traffic alerts via wireless handheld devices, and radios with direct MP3 ports, which allow MP3 players to be operated by the vehicle's stereo. Those features are on less than 2% and 7% of available trims respectively. DVD players are available on 417 trims, and 88% of those locate the player in the rear of the vehicle.