The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) carries the basic responsibility of ensuring the majority of vehicles on our roads are safe. This is the FDA for vehicles, but like food and drugs, it only tests at point of delivery. If you fail to look after the vehicle, that's your problem. So, if you go over to the safercar site, you will find the 5-star safety ratings for all the crash and rollover resistance tests. The NHTSA also liaises with the manufacturers to decide when there should be recalls to fix design defects. In theory, this gives you protection and ensures all the new vehicles coming on to the roads will be safe to drive. All this work of formal testing is, of course, watched by the insurance industry with interest. They prefer people to drive safe vehicles. Thus, the premium rates carefully match the safety test results from the NHTSA. If you buy a small vehicle that's likely to crumple on impact and trap you inside, this means more claims for driver and passenger injuries. Equally, if you drive something designed to crumple on impact to absorb the energy from the crash and so protect those inside, this is likely to mean your vehicle will be uneconomic to repair - again something that makes the claims more expensive. Essentially, the insurers prefer you not to crash. But if there's no avoiding it, you should be driving something that protects you and resists damage.

In setting the rates, the insurers assume you have not changed the basic specification of the vehicle. But if you invest a little money and make your vehicle safer, you can earn discounts. Although it's an extreme example, we should mention back-up cameras. The NHTSA reports an average of about 290 deaths and 18,000 injuries a year when drivers back over children and seniors. There's a proposal to force all manufacturers to instal cameras from 2014 onward. There are blind zones all around a vehicle and fitting better mirrors or cameras reduces the risk you will collide with other vehicles, pillars, posts and people. At present, this does not qualify for a discount but it may be a good idea. Most vehicles now come with anti-lock brakes and airbags as standard. These both qualify for discounts so make sure you are getting them. If you fit automatic seat-belts this is rewarded, as are any measures to improve security. All steps to reduce the risk your vehicle will be stolen or, if it is stolen, allow the police to recover it, will earn a discount. LoJack has a 90% recovery rate. Insurers like it.

Whatever you are planning, have a look at the questionnaire you complete to get your auto insurance quotes. That gives you the first indication of the discounts. When you have the quotes, talk to the companies offering the lowest rates and see whether they will advise on what else to fit. Do not accept auto insurance quotes as carved in stone. When you talk to people, you will often discover more about the discount policy and save money.