While I agree that one might assume the Pedestrian detection system might be part of the City package - I have to say that the owner was a dumbass.
Did you go out and try the airbags to show them off to your friends?
As for anti-lock brakes - when I purchased a car with this feature, Yes, I did try them out. I never had them before. First I found an empty parking lot and drove slowly, tried them, drove faster, tried them again. Drove in a circle - tried them. Each time making sure there was enough room *just in case* something didn't work as expected. I did NOT drive full tilt at a wall !!!
Maybe these features are complicated enough we need training.
I remember the first time my traction control was activated in a time of need. My car has a lot of horsepower - but the Stability system turns the engine down and applies the brakes to bring the car under control. Not a wonderful feature when trying to pull into a lane and "full power" is required. The car went idle and coasted for a few seconds because the wheels spun on black-ice. Thankfully there was room for this mistake. Now I know and anticipate it. The system can't tell the difference between "I'm out of control" and "Get me out of here now!" Just need to be quick on the "ESP" on/off button.