They aren’t nearly as safe as they could be, and manufacturers have had to be dragged kicking and screaming to implement even basic safety features like seatbelts: some manufacturers even refused on the basis that adding safety features implied their products were unsafe!

Airplanes are probably the example you want - heavily regulated and very focused on safety. Not motor vehicles. After all, if they really were focused on safety, they’d have banned giant trucks and SUVs for personal use a long, long time ago.