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So, you’re buying a new car. Before you even tick off the leather seats and high-end stereo from the option sheet, you make sure to include the safety-systems package – the one with features such as automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and blind-spot warning. Systems such as these are proven to reduce crashes and decrease injuries and fatalities on the road. So much, in fact, that you would assume driving with these systems should make a good argument for a decrease in your car insurance. Right?

Wrong. In fact, you’ll most likely be paying more. Sounds a little confusing, doesn’t it?

On the surface, you can see how; the higher cost comes right down to the added equipment on your car. These safety systems operate with a complex series of electronic components and sensors, and are vulnerable if you actually do crash. Replacing them adds considerable cost to your insurance bill in the form of parts, specialized training for technicians and the added time in repair. According to Winnipeg-based insurance firm Wawanesa Insurance, repairing a bumper on an entry-level luxury car in 2014 would have cost $1,845 on average. In 2016, that same repair would cost about $3,550, taking into account the added sensors and equipment found in a more modern car. And once the car is put back together, all these sensors have to be recalibrated, adding even more time.

So yes, it’s undisputed that even a small hit could cost big bucks. And yet, study after study have shown that these systems have and will reduce collisions on a grand scale. A report last year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States looked specifically at police-reported, front-to-rear collisions involving General Motors vehicles equipped with forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Compared with the same GM vehicles without the safety systems, there was an astounding 43-per-cent drop in collisions and, more importantly, a 64-per-cent reduction in injuries. This study also mirrors a previous IIHS report that looked at cars from Acura, Fiat Chrysler, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volvo; those cars equipped with FCW and AEB recorded a drop of 50 per cent in collisions and 56-per-cent drop in injuries.

Also, in crash ratings tests done by the IIHS, vehicles from Subaru, for example, receive the Top Safety Pick + rating – the highest rating – only if they are equipped with premium headlights and the company’s EyeSight forward collision-avoidance system. It’s just a fact that these systems make your drive safer.

It’s impossible to say how much the addition of these systems will raise your premium. Other factors that affect your insurance include your driving record, age, sex and even where you live – each company weighs all of these factors differently. On top of that, most automakers will be including these safety systems by default on all of their cars by 2022. If every car has it, there won’t be a reason for a rebate. Hopefully, a grand reduction in collisions and injuries will bring down rates naturally.

In the meantime, don’t let the higher insurance costs deter you from optioning your car with these safety systems. After all, what worth do you place on the safety of you and your family?

Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.

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