Needed safety features for driving in South Florida, push bumpers, cage, helmet and set of good belts.
There are many engineered in safety features.
Safety glass
Hydraulic brakes
Collapsible steering columns
Padded dashes
Crumple zones
Radial tires
Just a few.
How far back do you want to go? Cars are safer today, but as other have stated the week link is the drivers. We have poor driver education in this country along with poor testing and it should be fixed. Cell phone are a determent to safety, along with impaired driving. Will self driving car be the answer? Maybe. But systems fail and with the maintenance the average car gets, who knows. Are inspections the answer?
The one safety feature I would back up, I like separate shoulder and lap belts manually adjustable.