Auto Safety: The Detroit News, "Automakers find safety means sales - As new technology becomes widespread, savvy consumers come to expect it"

         Here's another sign that times have definitely changed for the auto industry: safety is selling. A tour of the 2005 North American International Auto Show proves that safety features are now as much a part of the cutthroat competition in the U.S. auto market as horsepower and styling.
          Automakers are racing each other to offer the latest safety gear and package them in ways that give them an edge with consumers. The competition this year is to outbid competitors on standard features.
          On Monday, NHTSA Chief Dr. Jeffrey Runge toured the show with a copy of "How to buy a safer car" in his notebook. Among the things he was looking for, Runge said, were whether automakers were designing their roofs to accommodate side curtain air bags, a key technology NHTSA has identified as a life-saver in side-impact crashes.