Top 10 Safety Features Every Car Owner Should Know

Car safety has become more important than ever in today’s fast-paced world. Due to the increasing number of vehicle-related accidents, there have been an increasing number of new safety features in cars. Whether you’re purchasing a new car, driving an older model, or buying a family car, understanding these safety features is crucial for ensuring your safety on the road.

• Antilock Braking System

The antilock braking system helps prevent the wheels from locking up during sudden braking, allowing the driver to maintain control of the vehicle. This feature reduces the risk of skidding and enhances stopping power, especially in slippery conditions.

• Electronic Stability Control

Losing control of your vehicle can be terrifying and inhibit your ability to stabilize. Electronic stability control is a computer program that helps out by monitoring the vehicle’s stability and prevents it from skidding or sliding out of control. By automatically applying brakes to individual wheels and adjusting engine power, it enhances traction and stability on various road surfaces.

• Airbags

Nothing beats a good old airbag. Airbags are essential safety devices that deploy rapidly in the event of a collision, providing cushioning and protection for occupants. Modern vehicles are equipped with multiple airbags, including frontal, side, and curtain airbags, in order to mitigate the impact of crashes from all angles.

• Traction Control System

The traction control system helps prevent wheel spin during acceleration by regulating the power delivered to the wheels. By maintaining traction, the system reduces the risk of losing control and skidding. Combined with the electronic stability control system, both greatly decrease your chances of getting into an accident.

• Forward Collision Warning

Sometimes our own foresight isn’t always enough on the road. Usually found in newer cars with large screens, the forward collision warning system uses sensors and cameras to detect vehicles or obstacles in the vehicle’s path and alerts the driver to potential collisions. This feature provides early warnings, allowing drivers to react quickly and avoid accidents.

• Automatic Emergency Braking

Another failsafe called automatic emergency braking works in conjunction with forward collision warning to automatically apply the brakes if the driver fails to respond to collision warnings. This feature can help mitigate or prevent rear-end collisions by reducing the vehicle’s speed or stopping it altogether.

• Lane Departure Warning

Drifting off at the wheel is something we’ve all done at one point or another. Autopiloting or even falling drowsy can leave some things unnoticed like accidental lane departures. A lane departure warning alerts the driver when the vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. By providing visual or audible warnings, it helps prevent lane departure accidents caused by driver distraction or drowsiness.

• Blind Spot Monitoring

Turning your head to check blind spots is probably an automatic action if you’ve been driving for a long time. However, this might not catch everything as we are not perfect. To make up for this, a system called “blind spot monitoring” uses sensors to detect vehicles in the driver’s blind spots and alerts them to potential hazards when changing lanes or merging. This feature enhances visibility and reduces the risk of side collisions caused by blind spot errors.

• Adaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive cruise control maintains a set distance from the vehicle ahead by automatically adjusting the vehicle’s speed. By monitoring traffic flow and adjusting cruising speed, adaptive cruise control reduces the need for manual braking and acceleration, enhancing comfort and safety during long drives.

• Backup Camera

A backup camera provides a rearview display of the area behind the vehicle when reversing, helping drivers avoid obstacles and pedestrians. This feature improves visibility and reduces the risk of backing accidents, especially in crowded or confined spaces. It also trivializes actions like backing up into a parking spot and even parallel parking.

In conclusion, there have been many recent advancements in technology that boost the safety levels on newer vehicles. By learning about and understanding the new systems such as lane departure warnings or automatic emergency braking, individuals can keep passengers and themselves much safer than otherwise. Despite the many new technologies, however, accidents do still slip through the cracks. If you have found yourself in an accident, contact a Newnan car accident lawyer.