You don’t even have to passive voice it - a simple “I felt upset” is fully valid without assigning blame.

Have you looked into Ubiquiti equipment? They’re generally pretty solid, and might have everything you need.

It still falls back onto the driver, as they chose to start driving without everyone buckled in.

I’ve always wondered, does the ear experience additional, unheard “loudness” when using ANC?

Absolutely! Biometrics are at best a username, not a password.