Top 10 Family-Friendly Car Features

The days of loading six kids, unbelted, into the back of a doughty station wagon and keeping them "occupied" with cassette tapes and AM radio are far behind us very far behind us. Today's so-called family-friendly vehicles have lots of seating for all the kiddies so they don't touch each other, plenty of cargo space for their stuff and more safety and entertainment options than anyone could ever have imagined 20 years ago. Below, we've compiled a list of today's 10 most family-friendly car features. Choose a smattering of these and you and the kids will be safe, comfortable and pacified on that next family road trip.

Safety Basics

Any responsible parent will consider the safety of his or her family when making a purchase decision. While today's vehicles are far safer than those of the past, it is important to make sure a family vehicle is equipped with the safety basics, namely anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC) and side-curtain airbags.

Anti-lock brakes are designed to keep a car's brakes from locking up, which can cause a driver to lose control. While it doesn't decrease stopping distance, ABS allows drivers to steer while braking hard and, therefore, increases the likelihood of avoiding an accident.

Discuss:
Are you willing to pay more for these family-friendly features, or should they be standard equipment?

Similar to the way ABS prevents a vehicle's brakes from locking up, ESC sensors detect loss of traction. When a vehicle begins to spin or skid, the system pulses the brakes of individual wheels to help "rotate" the vehicle back onto its intended path. It also sometimes cuts engine power, as well. In other words, ESC helps drivers avoid an accident by keeping a car's wheels planted firmly on the road. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ESC reduces single-vehicle accidents in passenger cars by 26 percent and in SUVs by 48 percent.

Side-curtain airbags protect a passenger's head in side-impact crashes. The NHTSA estimates that 700 to 1,000 lives would be saved per year if all vehicles had side-curtain airbags.

Cost: When buying that next family vehicle, either make sure these features come standard or are available as options. Electronic stability control costs $250-$750, anti-lock brakes run $250-$500, and side-curtain airbags go for about $600.

Rearview Camera/Rear Park Assist

Those who want to choose additional safety features should look into rearview cameras and/or rear park assist. It can be hard to see behind today's big rides, so both of these features can prevent you from backing over the kids' bikes, the dog or, perish the thought, a child playing in the driveway. Rearview cameras are typically mounted in the rear bumper or tailgate, and project their images onto either a dashboard screen or rearview mirror, giving you a full view of what lies in the road behind the vehicle. Rear park assist systems, also known as rear obstacle detection, use radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect how close objects are to the vehicle, and warn the driver with a beep that increases in frequency and intensity as the vehicle gets closer to the object.

Cost: Most SUVs, minivans and crossovers and some cars offer these systems. A rearview camera is typically packaged with other items, such as navigation systems, upgraded sound systems and Bluetooth cell phone links. Expect to pay at least $2,000 as part of an options package, or about $500-$600 to get one as a stand-alone option. Rear park assist is cheaper, at about $250-$300.