[norbtx]

I would say that the US government and Ralph Nadar had a lot to do with how safe cars are now. They mandated airbags, ABS, crash ratings, third brake lights, etc. Heck, in other countries you can still buy cars from the same manufacturers that sell cars in the US without these safety features. Might as well throw in emissions standards too, the US lead the world in implementing strict emissions standards. I doubt car manufacturers would have done those things on their own.