Winter weather is around the corner and our roads soon will be wet, icy and potentially hazardous. With that in mind, it's worth considering automotive safety -- how far it has come in recent years, where it is going and how its progress can affect you.

If you are considering a car purchase, new or used, the good news is that vehicle safety standards have improved dramatically in the past decade. For instance, three-quarters of vehicles did not have side impact airbags 10 years ago; now just 10 percent do not offer them.

Just as important, considering that it is better to avoid an accident in the first place, is the fact that electronic stability control (ESC) systems are now widespread. Back in 1999, only 9 percent of U.S. market vehicles had ESC. This year 74 percent of cars and 100 percent of sport utility vehicles have ESC as standard.

One result of these shifts is that traffic fatalities are headed downward. Four years ago, more than 43,500 people died in road accidents. This year the trend indicates the number will be under 35,000. That's a welcome reduction but it is still a large number -- equivalent to losing the entire population of a small town every year.

The downward trend is aided by government-mandated steps, such as pressure on consumers to increase seat belt usage, now estimated at 84 percent, and a requirement for automakers to equip all vehicles with ESC by the 2012 model year.

So now the push is on to develop new safety systems and spread the technology across the entire market. In other words, the best and most advanced safety systems will not just be the preserve of expensive vehicles and those wealthy enough to afford them, although inevitably the most costly technology will debut first on luxury cars.

Reliability tops with buyers

Studies show consumers rank safety as their No. 2 consideration, just behind reliability when buying a new vehicle. Most automakers have gotten the message and are focusing on introducing new systems such as lane departure and side collision alerts, adaptive cruise control and driver alertness monitoring. There also are variations on existing technologies like Ford's forthcoming inflatable rear seat belt system.

Behind many of these systems are automotive suppliers and one of the biggest players in terms of safety is Continental, which recently declared a goal of driving the fatality rate down to zero.

"It's not a dream," says Dr. Ralf Cramer, Continental chassis and safety board member. "We want to make sure safety is not a privilege but an affordable norm."

Push for selling safety

Continental is hoping automakers put more marketing effort into selling safety systems on mid-size and smaller cars, more of which will be seen in U.S. showrooms in the coming years. As well as making anti-lock brakes and ESC standard basic equipment on all cars, Continental wants to see the focus on active safety, or collision avoidance, technology.

The idea is that the same electronics that control vehicle stability also can control other functions such as assisted braking systems.

The latter concept is being widely considered because research shows that drivers rarely use the maximum braking capability of their vehicles in an accident.

Looking further ahead, Continental says assisted steering systems designed to help a driver avoid a collision at the very last second are in the pipeline.

The coming winters are likely to be easier to handle thanks to the remarkable spread of more affordable safety technology.

Car culture John McCormick is a columnist for Autos Consumer and can be reached at john.mccormick@detnews.com.