Consumers get so accustomed to certain safety measures that they forget (at least, often I forget) that they are the result of government mandates, many of which were resisted mightily by the industry now required to obey them. The National HIghway Traffic Safety Administration has released this report detailing the number of lives saved in the U.S. by seat belt use, airbags, and other safety measures. In 2010 alone, seat belt use saved over 12,500 lives, frontal airbags saved more than 2300 lives, child car seats saved 300 children from death, and motorcyle helmets saved more than 1550 lives. Most of these statistics concern safety features that combine a government mandate and voluntary consumer action. The latter (for instance, seat belt use) often has been achieved only after a sustained government-sponsored public relations campaign.

