Automakers unveiled a number of safety features at this year’s North American International Auto Show that will make it easier to see when backing up, avoid whiplash in crashes and make it easier for emergency responders to do their jobs.

Luxury automakers are adding more air bags, back-up cameras, lane-departure systems and adaptive cruise control, which automatically slows a vehicle if it gets too close to another.

The 2009 Hyundai Genesis, which is trying to compete for luxury buyers, features an electronic active head- restraint system that automatically moves toward the head when it senses a crash. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus also offer this to prevent whiplash that often occurs in a rear-end collision.

Trucks, also, are showing off safety improvements.

The 2009 Ford F-150 will have roll stability control and “trailer sway control,” which slows the vehicle to get control of a trailer being towed.

Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC both touted rear back-up cameras as an option for their 2009 model pickup trucks, which addresses concerns in Congress about the number of children killed or injured by drivers backing up. Congress is poised to tell federal regulators early this year that they should consider new standards for rear visibility.

Chrysler’s 2009 Dodge Ram and the Dodge Journey will have ParkSense Rear Park Assist, which uses sound waves to help detect obstacles in and around the back of the vehicle, supporting its newly added backup camera.

CHRYSLER ALSO ADDED its Enhanced Accident Response System to the new truck, which in the event of an accident makes it easier for emergency personnel to see and reach occupants by turning on the interior lighting and unlocking the doors after air bags are deployed. It also shuts off the flow of fuel to the engine.

Other automakers are improving materials so vehicles hold up better in crashes. The 2009 Honda Pilot will use 52 percent high-strength steel to reinforce the vehicle in crashes, more than twice what’s in the current vehicle.

Many automakers are looking at ways to make vehicles safer for younger drivers.

Sue Cischke, Ford’s senior vice president for sustainability, environment and safety engineering, said Ford is working on a system called “My Key” for parents to be able to limit their teenagers’ behavior behind the wheel.

“Parents will be able to restrict speed and do a lot of things to monitor their behavior when you give them the keys to your car,” Cischke said.

The new safety improvements come amid the backdrop of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s continuing efforts to revise its program to evaluate the safety of new cars.

Last year, NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced at the 2007 Detroit auto show that the government was reforming its New Car Assessment Program, in which the government gives new cars ratings of up to five stars for frontal, side and rollover crashes.

Nason has suggested giving automakers extra credit for making safety features that aren’t required in the government safety ratings — a position that might push automakers to voluntarily add safety advances.

The biggest problem with the government’s star system, critics say, which was introduced in 1994, is that it has become too easy to get high marks. Because nearly all vehicles get four or five stars, it’s hard for customers to differentiate between vehicles, they argue.

NHTSA OFFICIALS have delayed the rollout of the new ranking system, and have decided to “tweak” the first draft of the program after concerns were raised internally about the sharp declines in scores for some vehicles.

Robert Lange, GM’s executive director of vehicle safety, said in an interview this week that he had been told by NHTSA officials that under the original proposal, at least one vehicle would see one crash test rating drop from five stars to one star.

“We are concerned about what the impact of those declines will be on consumers’ confidence in the ratings and in automakers,” Lange said.

Because a dramatic drop in ratings on some vehicles could cause a significant decline in auto sales, the rewrite must still be approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget before it takes effect.