Vehicle safety has evolved over the decades, and research shows that modern cars are safer than ever. With improved engineering, better software development, and improved crash data analysis, you are more likely than ever to survive a serious accident.
The safety features outlined here are some of the things that are making cars safer today.
Electronic Stability Control
It’s never good to lose control of your car, but safety systems have been developed that can bail you out if it happens. For instance, electronic stability control reduces the chances of losing control in the rain or snow. These systems are mandatory on all vehicles since 2011.
ESC uses automatic braking of one or more of the wheels to help the driver keep control if you start to spin out.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Most of us are familiar with cruise control, which is usually used on highways during long distance drives. Cruise control helps you maintain speed without keeping your foot on the gas, which can reduce fatigue when you’re driving for hours at a time.
Newer vehicles often come with adaptive cruise control, which uses radar sensors to keep your car at a safe distance from those in front of you.
When you set the cruise control on the highway, a radar system in the front of your vehicle keeps track of how far cars are in front of you. When your car gets too close to stop safely, the cruise control will automatically slow your vehicle.
This system prevents your vehicle from getting too close during cruising, thereby reducing accidents.
Blind Spot Detection
How many times have you almost merged or switched lanes into another driver because they were in your blind spot? Today’s cars often feature blind spot detection with digital cameras to tell you if there is a car in the lane next to you.
Blind-spot detection is usually offered as optional equipment but more cars are adding the system as standard today.
Backup Cameras
There have been many serious injuries and fatalities over the decades when drivers are parking or reversing; there are stories every year of drivers backing over children in driveways. These tragic incidents can be avoided with a recent addition to all new vehicles – backup cameras.
The backup camera is usually contained in the rear bumper, with a video screen on the dashboard. The camera automatically comes on when you put the vehicle in reverse. It makes backing up much easier and safer and is one of the most affordable safety features that have been added to new vehicles.
Adaptive Headlights
Driving at night is often more dangerous because of poor visibility. With traditional headlights, you may have poor visibility when going around a turn or curve because the headlights don’t illuminate your path as well as they should.
Adaptive headlights pivot in the direction in which you are traveling and significantly enhance visibility around curves. One study found that adaptive headlights reduce property damage claims by up to 6% and the number of collision claims dropped by 1%.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
One of the bigger dangers today is distracted driving. As more of us use mobile devices everywhere, it’s easy to be distracted while behind the wheel. AEB systems are intended to prevent accidents from happening by automatically deploying brakes during an emergency.
These systems vary by manufacturer. Some AEB systems alert you with an audible alarm when automatic braking is being implemented, while others also will vibrate the steering wheel and seat.
If the driver doesn’t hit the brake when the alarm goes off, the system will engage the brakes automatically.
These safety features are making a dramatic difference in the safety of cars today, so look for them the next time you’re hunting for a new ride.