At one point in time it was difficult to get auto makers to acknowledge safety issues, let alone change the way they manufactured their vehicles to make them safer to drive. But as safety has become top priority for all buyers on the Toyota dealer lot, manufacturers are forced to meet these needs in order to stay competitive in the industry. Ultimately, though, the government still plays an integral role in what the safety standards need to be.

It wasn’t until 2007 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandated that all auto manufacturers were to add side impact protection, as a standard feature, to all their models. This requirement began to take effect in September of 2009. All vehicle manufacturers have four years to be in total compliance of the requirement.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety side impact crashes were responsible for the deaths of about 8,225 Americans in the year 2007. Adding the side airbag, head protection was expected to greatly reduce this statistic and have a lasting positive impact on vehicle safety standards. However, most automakers are already within compliance and seem to be a step ahead of the requirement. In fact, during the 2009 model year it was found that nearly three quarters of the vehicles manufactured were already in compliance with the requirement, offering side airbags as a standard feature.

“We’ve gone all the way from coercion via regulation to carmakers competing to see who can get these safety devices into cars,” said Ann Fleming, a senior vice president of the IIHS.

“For consumers, the fact that the two sides got together so agreeably means that this safety advancement, that we know is so beneficial, got into cars much faster than the regulatory process could have forced it,” said Fleming.