Auto safety used to be an afterthought, but automakers now boast about their safety ratings from groups like the IIHS or NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. The journey to get there has been long and, in some cases, controversial. Fierce battles have taken place over whether automakers should equip their cars with safety equipment, such as airbags, and whether people should be required to wear seat belts.

Now, a host of new safety technologies help prevent collisions. Some automakers, like General Motors, aspire to a world without crashes.

While some of these new security technologies are promising, they often rely on automation to achieve their goals, and automation carries its own risks, such as distraction, confusion, or a false sense of security.

Meanwhile, the number of traffic deaths in the United States has increased in recent years, after reaching a record high in 2014. Experts are trying to understand why and how to reverse the trend.

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How car safety became a major selling point

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