The driver and passengers’ safety is something that car manufacturers have taken seriously as the exhibition of speed remains some drivers’ focus. In the past decade alone, cars’ safety and security features have been exponential, giving rise to more safe and secure vehicles. With such cars on the road, the incidence of bad accidents will reduce. In this article, you shall read about some of these more standard features and a few others that may help you make a purchasing decision.
AIRBAGS
Airbags had become a standard safety feature for cars since the 1970’s when Ford and General Motors started rolling out the feature. In modern cars, several kinds of airbags serve different functions but still align to the overall purpose. There are front airbags, knee airbags, inflatable seat belts, curtain and torso seat belts, etc. Airbags are essential safety features, have them reinstalled if they have deployed.
ABS
The anti-lock braking system is another safety feature that has been around for at least twenty years. Its purpose is to make sure that the wheels remain in traction while the brake is applied heavily. This works by using sensors to notice if any of the tires are moving faster or slower than the others, and then feathering is applied to the brakes. This ensures that you can keep steering even while heavily using the brakes.
REVERSE CAMERA AND BLIND-SPOT WARNING
This is a safety feature that is very important but not found in some cars. The good news is it can be retro-fitted, so that is a problem solved. A reverse camera offers you a view of what is behind you when you are backing up. It also helps you to park with the help of your mirrors as well. The blind-spot warning safety feature employs cameras or radar to notify you of other vehicles or objects in your blind spot, using visual or audio cues.
LANE-KEEPING ASSIST AND LANDE DEPARTURE WARNING
With more car manufacturers including camera and radar tech into their cars, this safety feature can notify you if you are venturing out of your lane without activating your turn signals. With an audio cue, this safety feature can automatically make a “mild steering input” to ensure that the car stays in its lane.
FORWARD COLLISION WARNING AND AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ACTIVATION
Again, with the help of laser and cameras, the forward collision warning safety feature can scan the distance ahead of your car and notify you when it senses an imminent collision. If you cannot react in time to apply the brakes, the automatic emergency braking is activated to avoid an accident.
TRACTION CONTROL AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL
In a similar fashion to the ABS, traction control senses each wheel’s speed and then either speeds up or slows the other wheels to sync traction. Electronic stability control takes this a notch higher by detecting the external forces and the car’s direction to ensure that it remains on its anticipated path when negotiating a turn.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL
This safety feature also works on traction. With this feature, the car is kept on its intended path when negotiating a turn by ensuring no skids or slides. It works as a system with several sensors linked to a computer. Things taken into account include rotation, steering angle, sideways motion, and wheel speed. If the vehicle begins to drift from the intended path, the stability control system will quickly brake one or several wheels to reduce the engine power and bring it back to its original course. This feature is handy in trucks and other SUVs and ensures that they do not rollover.
PEDESTRIAN DETECTION
This safety feature works much like the forward collision warning, but in this case, it concerns pedestrians. It still makes use of automatic emergency brakes to keep pedestrians safe.
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This is a safety feature that ensures that you keep a safe distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you. It works by using a combination of cameras, lasers, and radar to keep you a safe distance from the car ahead of you. This means that you can relax and concentrate on just steering during peak traffic hours, knowing full well that you don’t have to worry about mistakenly running into the car in front of you.
These are just a few of the increasingly smart safety features that car manufacturers are coming up with to guarantee drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users’ safety. When buying your next car, be sure to look out for these safety features.
Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz
