Vehicle safety has come a long way since the invention of the seatbelt. In today’s modern cars, more features prevent crashes than ever before.
The seatbelt was only the beginning of the safety revolution. Eventually, automakers began to build cars with crumple zones meant to protect passengers. The latest tech advancements in safety bring systems that prevent crashes and alert you to potential problems. The same basic safety features are still present, but new, tech-rich cars can prevent more crashes than ever before.
Here are several of the most impressive modern safety features that improve vehicle safety.
Collision Avoidance System
This system goes by several names, including automatic braking or collision mitigation. The point of this system is to stop the vehicle before it crashes into another car or obstacle. Even if the system can’t stop the car before the crash, it can slow the vehicle enough to lessen the damage and impact of a crash. This system utilizes sensors to calculate the distance between vehicles and avoid a crash. Some systems are advanced enough to use artificial intelligence and cameras to improve the available data.
Adaptive Headlights
Headlights are some of the most important aspects of vehicle safety. This feature illuminates the darkness to ensure you can see while driving at night. Adaptive headlights improve a driver’s visibility while driving, making it much easier to see what you need to. These headlights often come with automatic high beams, which can turn on and off based on sensing other cars coming towards the vehicle in another lane. In some cars headlights also turn in the direction of the wheel, which allows drivers to see around the corner much faster than without this feature.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Regular cruise control only sets a speed and holds it. That doesn’t do you much good if the rest of the cars on the road are going slower than you. Adaptive cruise control allows you to set a desired speed but will reduce that speed based on the speed of other cars. Many cars also have a distance setting, which allows you to set a space between your vehicle and those in front of you while on the road. This feature is one of the top items in modern cars.
Lane Assist System
This vehicle safety feature is made to keep you in your lane while driving. Lane Assist uses cameras and sensors to read the white lines on the road to keep your vehicle from crossing over these lines while driving. Unfortunately, this system doesn’t work when there’s fog or snow covering the white lines. On some roads without lines, this system also doesn’t work well, requiring drivers to pay closer attention and remain between the lines.
Blind-Spot Assist
One of the most dangerous things about driving is the area you can’t see. This is called a blind spot. Many modern vehicles have blind-spot monitoring, and some add an intervention capability. This system uses sensors and cameras to see what’s going on in the lane next to you and keep you out of trouble. Some cars also have a camera that shows the blind area on the infotainment screen, making it even easier to see what’s going on. This system has become advanced enough to extend to the end of a trailer while towing.
Rear Cross-Traffic Assist
Some cars have cross-traffic assist in both the front and rear, but the rear system is the most useable and important. This system alerts the driver if a vehicle or pedestrian is approaching the vehicle from either direction. When you put the car in reverse, this system goes into action to help keep you from hitting other cars or people. Some cars have an intervention system that will stop you if the system detects a potential crash. This vehicle safety system is great when backing up in a parking lot.
Rearview Camera
One of the most important and useful advances in safety is the addition of rearview cameras. This camera helps you back up your car out of a parking spot, into a parking area, or when you want to avoid obstacles that could be in your path. This camera shows you what’s going on behind the vehicle. Instead of only using the rearview mirror, the camera does the job. If you load your vehicle with cargo to the roof, you might not be able to use the rearview mirror, which makes this camera extremely important.
These advanced vehicle safety features make it much easier for you to stay out of trouble while driving.
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