Safety belt pretension, telescopic/tilt steering, headrests, side curtain
airbags, traction control at lower speeds are all becoming standard features
more and more.

I'm a big fan of anti-lock brakes and low speed traction control. I live in
Canada where winter conditions can vary and swing in a single day.  I also
drive about 30 000 miles a year.  once my car hits about 120 000 miles I
just get another 2 year old car.

I rarely take passengers but I did buy a car  with airbags, however my last
two "smaller and frugal" cars had airbags on the drivers side.

I purchased a mid-size car for hiway stability and the braking systems and
the traction control however I also needed room so I comprised on some
safety features like side curtain airbags to get maximum room I could in
that class for a low dollar amount.  Bigger cars use more gas  so i paid
less upfront to cover additional gas exspenses.

More and more smaller cars seem to be getting all these safety features so
unless you need the room or cargo space, you should be able to find an
affordable much newer car with your safety features in mind.  Find out from
your insurance company which smaller cars they deem safe and unsafe too.
It'll save them money too.