Top 10 Car Safety Technologies
With every year, it seems as if automobiles are looking sleeker and performing better. But are they getting any safer? A number of auto makers to their credit have incorporated cutting-edge technology for making their vehicles safer. Here are the top 10 choices for high-tech car safety technologies:
1. Blind spot detection/collision warning: This technology warns you about vehicles, objects or people that are in your blind spot as you drive or park. Usually, it will respond when you put on your turn signal. If it detects an obstruction, it may flash a light in your mirror, cause the seat or steering wheel to vibrate or sound an alarm.
2. Side-impact airbags: Often, side-impact collisions cause the most devastating injuries. These are also known as broadside or T-bone crashes and commonly occur at street intersections when someone runs a red light or fails to yield right-of-way. Side-impact collisions are different from frontal collisions because in a frontal collision, the car's crumple zone can help some of the impact. But in a side-impact collision, the passenger or driver only have the thickness of the car's door for protection. Side-impact airbags can help absorb the blow and protect occupants from contact with hard surfaces.
3. Tire pressure monitoring: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required that all American passenger vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system by the 2008 model year. This consists of sensors at the wheels that are able to alert the occupants if the air pressure is too low with an audible warning, a light on the instrument panel or both.
4. Adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation: Modern cruise control technology does more than just maintain a constant speed. Sensors and radars help cruise control systems adjust the throttle and brakes to help you keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you. It even adjusts itself depending on traffic speed and even makes adjustments for someone cutting in between. If the system senses a potential collision, it will brake hard and tighten the seatbelts. Once the system detects the lane is clear or traffic has sped up, it will return your vehicle to he original speed – all automatically.
5. Electronic stability control: These are systems that use several electronic sensors to monitor the driver's intended path and the actual direction the car is headed. Should these two begin to diverge, the system's computer will essentially apply the individual brakes and reduce engine power to restore control. These systems play a significant role in reducing rollover accidents.
6. Rearview camera: Rearview cameras not only protect your own car, but more importantly, prevent accidental back-overs. This technology involves a camera that works with the navigation system to provide a wide-angle shot of what's happening behind your vehicle. Whether it's children playing or pets crossing your path, you'll be able to see it.
7. Lane departure warning: This system judges an approaching vehicle's speed and distance to warn you about potential hazards if you switch lanes. It can also caution you if it senses that your car is wandering outside of your designated traffic lane. This warning could come in the form of a vibration through the seat or steering wheel or an audible alarm.
8. Emergency brake assist: This brake technology is different from an antilock braking system in that it recognizes when the driver makes a sudden or "panic" stop. The system will apply additional brake pressure in these cases to help shorten the stopping distance.
9. Daytime running lights: These are basically a low-cost method to reduce crashes. Daytime running lights or DRLs are especially effective in preventing daytime head-on and front-corner collisions by increasing vehicle conspicuity and making it easier to detect approaching vehicles from farther away.
10. Emergency response: Vehicles have different technologies handle emergency situations. For example Volkswagen's emergency system switches on hazards and disconnects the battery terminal from the alternator while GM's Onstar and BMW Assist both alert their respective response centers of the accident and make crash details available to emergency personnel.
IF YOU, OR A LOVED ONE, HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN WASHINGTON - CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION!
