Optional Safety Features Can Save Your Life (NAPSA)—The next time S ——— you're contemplating buying a new car, give extra attention to the optional safety features available and consider this story of how they saved one man’slife. The man is David Cook. He’s Director of Quality for a company that supplies safety restraints to automobile manufacturers. So, when choosing his own car, he made sure it included the most advanced and essential safety systems. “T made sure that my new vehicle had threecritical items: Side Curtain Airbags, Anti-Whiplash Seat system, Pretensioning Seatbelts,” stated Cook. On December 3, 2002, these devices would savehislife. There were four to five inches of snow on the ground and the edgesof the divided highway were piled up with plowed snow and ice. Suddenly, a large tractortrailer rig crossed the divided median and jackknifed as it came barreling towards David’s car. Thetrailer’s rear wheels hit the side of the car. The front wheels rolled over the top of the car, shattering the sunroof and spewingglass down on Cook. Then the second set of tires rolled over the car and Cook’s legs. His car then rolled over twice. Hisleft leg was severely injured and he was trapped. Emergency workers—whotook over an hourto free him—were amazedhehad survived at all. His leg injuries required rehabilitation, but he had no back, neck or head injuries and not a mark on his face. Safety is no accident when you choosethelatest safety technology, one expert found. Cook believes he survived because, first, the side-curtain airbag fully protected his head as the truck struck the side of his car. Side-Curtain Airbags drop down from the vehicle’s roof just above the side windows and inflate in milliseconds to provide a cushion along theside of the interior. Secondly, the Anti-Whiplash Seat did its job. The force of the collision caused the seatback to deform backwards and allow Cook to lie flat on his back. The roof ended up just inches from his nose. “The Side-Curtain Airbag and Anti-Whiplash Seat were the features that saved mylife,” Cook declares. Cook says everyone hasto educate themselves on the equipment in vehicles if they want to be protected. “I would be a big advocate of the government makingsidecurtain airbags mandatory,” he declares. “A vast majority of people are just not aware that they can significantly enhance their own personal safety by getting optional safety equipment. A typical dealer’s lot usually has a portion of their vehicles with these critical safety items,” added Cook. Five years ago, David Cook would not have survived his accident. The technology wasn’t available yet. “I’m glad to be here,” Cook reflects. “I honestly did think my life was over.”
