The DB12 has standard head airbag curtains for front and rear seats which act as a forgiving barrier between the driver and outboard passenger's upper bodies and the window and pillars. Combined with high-strength steel door beams and lower side airbags this system increases head protection in broadside collisions. The 296 doesn't offer side airbag protection for the head.
The DB12 has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The 296 doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.
The DB12’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The 296 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.
The DB12 has a standard Birds-eye Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 296 only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the DB12’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Assist uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 296 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.
The DB12’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The 296 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the DB12 and the 296 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.
The Aston Martin DB12 weighs 617 to 1014 pounds more than the Ferrari 296. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.