Whenever you are looking to buy a new car, safety is one of the most important things to consider, as it will help make sure that you get home safely every time. This is why as technology gets even more advanced and is moving at the speed of light, automakers also invest tremendous amounts of money and resources in coming up with many different technologies. Their goal is to make cars more advanced, smarter, and, most importantly, safer on the road.
Once you hit the road, the risk of an accident is always there. Yes, you’ll have auto insurance to cover your car. But it’s always better to be driving a safe vehicle in the first place. This means that you should be driving a vehicle equipped with safety technologies at par with the latest road standards like the NY car seat laws.
To give you some idea, here’s a roundup of the best car safety technologies that may save you and your passengers alike:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
One of the most advanced safety features in modern cars today is what’s known as the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). This kind of system uses cutting-edge radar sensors to keep your vehicle at a safe distance from the cars in front of you and your passengers.
When the system senses an imminent collision, the ACC will use the car’s emergency brake system to slow down and stop the vehicle. The driver can also establish the maximum speed of the cruise control, keeping your vehicle at a safe distance from others in front of you.
- Forward-Collision Warning (FCW)
This new car feature uses sensors like radar and cameras to scan and alert you if there’s a risk of a crash. The warning gives you enough time to use the brakes, reduce your speed, or change lanes. When your car offers you a forward collision warning, it can significantly reduce the likelihood of a dangerous rear-end accident.
An FCW system also prevents a stationary car from driving forward into the back of another stationary car during short and long stops. It warns the driver of a potential collision threat, and if the driver doesn’t respond to those warnings, the system may reduce the car’s speed on its own.
- Lane Departure Warning
Highway lanes are there for a reason: to ensure all drivers stay in their proper lanes and avoid significant accidents. Especially at fast speeds, many drivers may drift off then have difficulty going back to their lane. Therefore, a lane departure warning is essential to keep you alert and make the right move before an accident.
- Lane-Keeping Assist
While the lane departure warning alerts the driver whenever they navigate the wrong lane, working together is the lane-keeping assist. This is responsible for automatically steering your car to keep it within the right lane.
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Drivers today experience so many more distractions than the drivers in the past did. These can be from using smartphones, listening to loud music, eating, or drinking. Notably, the risk of distracted driving is also more significant for new drivers.
This is why car companies have invested in automatic emergency braking systems. If a possible impact may occur, the AEB will automatically alert the driver with an alarm, like a vibration on the steering wheel or the seats. Then, it will automatically engage the brakes if the driver doesn’t apply it fast enough to prevent a potential collision.
- Brake Assist
This technology works hand-in-hand with your car’s automatic emergency braking system. If you need to make an emergency stop, the brake assist comes in and does its magic. It can effectively put your car on a halt as effectively as possible without locking up the wheels.
- Seatbelts
No matter how advanced your car’s technology is, there’s one safety piece of equipment that’s non-negotiable: a seatbelt. While it’s not exactly new technology, it’s one of the most basic that can keep you and your passengers secured inside your car. Several countries even have their respective laws requiring seatbelts (and car seats for children).
Conclusion
As much as cars are now conceived as a necessity for most, no one can deny that they can be a very dangerous mechanism when not used correctly. Thus, safety should reign on top of all the other car features you’ll be looking for. There’s no way to beat around the bush for the need to have the best safety features like those enumerated above.
