Earlier, car safety meant anti-lock brakes, a few airbags, three-point seatbelts, and traction control. Gone are those days, today car buyers will not part with their hard earned money unless the majority of the latest safety features are fitted into the new car that they are looking to buy. Surveys show that road fatalities have been dramatically reduced when the automobile comes fitted with improved safety features. Scroll down to take a look at some of the safety features that are a must to have in every car:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): This system, which is available on a majority of new cars, uses radars and sensors that are mounted on to the grille, in order to lock onto the car ahead, thereby maintaining a safe distance. The ACC helps to maintain a safe distance between your car and the car ahead by automatically applying the throttle whenever acceleration is required and the brakes when traffic starts to slow down. Drivers mostly prefer to use ACC on long highway cruises or in heavy traffic congestions. In case of a potential collision, ACC also tightens the seatbelts.
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): This is a feature that almost all drivers are looking for in their new car. In case a driver doesn’t react to a potential collision on time and the car is fitted with AEB, the car will start braking for the driver. Drivers have commented that the AEB system is even faster than them when it comes to reacting to any emergencies.
- Lane Departure Warning/ Lane Keep: If you cross the white lane or unintentionally leave your lane, then the lane departure either sounds a warning or buzzes your seat or the steering wheel in order to put you on alert. The duty of lane keep is to gently steer you back into your lane if you drift out of it. In case the system has trouble detecting lines or when the lines are faint, the system can always be switched off.
- Blind Spot Detection: We have all been trained to look over our shoulders constantly and make use of the mirrors to check what is behind us and in our blind spot while driving. Now, this is where the blind spot detection comes in handy as it picks up what you may have missed and it also warns you of any vehicles that may be approaching you from the rear by shining a small yellow or orange light in your door mirrors.
- Rear-view Camera: There are two main purposes that the rear-view camera has. The first one is to give the driver a clear unobstructed view of what is behind him and the second purpose is to protect animals and small children being accidentally run over or hit. The rear-view camera gives up to 180-degree backward view and it typically uses wide-angle lenses in order to do so. This car safety feature can prevent many accidents from happening and is hence a must have in every car nowadays.
