Safety features in our cars have come a long way; from seatbelts to crumple zones and airbags. Currently, we have more advanced safety features thanks to technology. Most of them are centred around driver assistance technologies. As you enjoy your car, its important to know the safety features it has, how they work and their benefits.
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Here are 7 top safety features modern cars have:
Automatic High Beams
Automatic high beams automatically turn brighter or dimmer depending on incoming traffic and available street lighting. They normally use forward looking cameras mounted in the rearview mirror to detect ambient light levels ahead. As a driver, instead of manually flicking your headlights between high and low beams, the system automatically turns the high beams on and off. This takes away the burden of constantly flicking your headlights as your drive at night.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
In a traditional cruise control, a vehicle maintains its set speed regardless of traffic. Adaptive cruise control goes beyond that. It automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed to match the speed of the car in front. This way, you are able to maintain safe distance. This is made possible through the use of laser sensors in your car that monitor the traffic ahead and use that data to either accelerate or decelerate your car to maintain that constant distance with the car ahead. As a driver, this reduces the need for constant accelerating and braking on long drives on the highway making your focus to be more on steering.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Automatic Emergency Braking is a safety technology in your car that uses a suite of sensors, radars and cameras to detect potential collisions on the road. It emits audio and visual warnings to alert you of potential crashes so you can take action. If you do not respond fast, the system will automatically brake your car to avoid the collision or lessen the impact if the collision is unavoidable. The system is a lifesaver especially in situations where quick reactions are needed e.g. when the car in front of you suddenly brakes.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Blind spot monitoring helps you monitor areas around your car’s blind spots on each side and warns you if there is a vehicle, cyclist or even a pedestrian there. Depending on the car, the alert can be visual (such as a light on the side mirror), audible, or tactile (such as a vibration in the steering wheel). This gives you increased situational awareness that helps you avoid colliding with fellow motorists when changing lanes.
Cross Traffic Alert
Cross Traffic Alert is especially useful when backing out of a parking spot. It uses sensors and radar to scan the area behind and around your car for moving objects that are approaching your path and alerts you using visual, audio or tactile signals. This allows you to slow down or stop letting the other car to pass avoiding a collision. The system is useful in high traffic parking areas such as shopping malls.
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
As with the other safety features, Forward Collision Warning uses sensors, cameras, or radar to scan the road ahead looking out for potential collisions with other vehicles or other objects in your car’s path. When it spots a potential collision, the system will alert you using either flashing light, alarm or vibrating steering wheel or driver’s seat so you can react in good time and avoid the collision. This is useful in urban areas when pedestrians step onto the road in front of your car.
Lane Departure Warning & Lane Keeping Assist
Lane Departure Warning uses sensors or cameras to monitor lane markings on the road. When you stray out of your lane and you had not indicated, it will alert you using either visual, audio or vibrations so you can return back to the centre of your lane. This minimizes chances of you colliding with oncoming traffic.
Lane Keeping Assist helps you stay in your lane. When you have strayed, the system guides you back.
