The heads of two federal traffic safety agencies said recently that safety features such as forward collision warning, electronic stability control and lane departure warning systems should be standard equipment on all vehicles, regardless of price. The remarks at the Governors Highway Safety Association conference by David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, were reported by Edmunds.com.

            “Safety should not just be for those who can afford it,” Hersman said.

            Former Edmunds chairman Jeremy Anwyl told the panel that in the future, safety technology will focus more on collision avoidance than accident prevention.

            The panel also focused on distracted driving. Hersman said NTSB aims to ban all portable electronic devices from vehicles. But Anwyl, saying consumers’ need to stay connected through their cell phones is “almost an addiction,” believes the answer lies in driver education.