Driving is a dangerous business, yet everyone has places they must get to one way or another. It's thus natural for drivers to invest in car safety features which enable them to speedily get from point A to point B without having to worry in the event of a collision. Nevertheless, there are so many car safety features out there in this day and age that it can be hard to separate those which are worthwhile from those which you can safely ignore.
Here are 8 safety features your car must have if you want to cruise with maximum security, and why they're so popular in the first place.
1. Rear view cameras are becoming the norm
Once upon a time, rear view cameras were exclusively within the domain of the rich, being a common feature on luxury cars but seldom finding themselves affixed to average sedans, trucks, and vans. These days, however, sensory technology has become more robust while simultaneously becoming more accessible to a greater array of drivers. This means that rear view cameras are slowly but surely becoming the norm, and that anyone who wants to safely get out of a parking lot will want to have one installed sooner rather than later.
Of all the car features for safety that you can rely on, rear view cameras are one of the cheapest yet most effective means of safeguarding your vehicle and life whilst on the road.
2. Blind-spot collision avoidance assistance is finally here
Since the earliest days of mirrors being affixed to automobiles, drivers have lamented the presence of the blind-spot, or that irksome area wherein you can't see other drivers or obstacles on the road. Blind-spots aren't just frustrating, but are downright dangerous, with countless collisions occurring every year because drivers merged, took a turn, or otherwise made a decision without paying attention to what could be lurking in the unseen corners of the road.
These new collision avoidance systems are proving adept at helping drivers avoid mayhem on the road, though they can often come at steep prices which make it more challenging to own your own vehicle. Nevertheless, you can't put a price on safety, so we can expect these to become more common in the foreseeable future.
3. Lane departure warnings keep you where you need to be
In a similar vein to blind-spot collision avoidance is lane departure warning services, which give drivers an indication of when they begin to stray from their lane and into the path of others in the road. Many drivers, especially long-haul truckers who spend countless hours on the road without breaks, get tired and begin to drift into the pathways of oncoming traffic or into the lanes of their fellow commuters. This can have disastrous results, yet lane departure warning systems are becoming increasingly standard across most automobile markets.
4. Adaptive headlights are preventing accidents like no other
Have you ever dealt with the frustration of someone else's headlights blinding you on a curved roadway? That irksome threat could soon be a thing of the past thanks to adaptive headlights, which literally adapt to the changing conditions around your vehicle at a moment's notice in order to ensure maximum visibility on your end without impeding the vision of other drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the inclusion of adaptive headlights has done more to reduce auto collisions and fatalities than most other car safety features, so if you're worried about your time on the road this is an innovation that could help you out.
5. Bluetooth technology is eliminating distracted driving
It would be nice if we could count on drivers everywhere to put down their digital devices and focus solely on the road in front of them, but the truth of the matter is that humans will never willingly part with their smartphones, even if their lives are on the line. Indeed, countless accidents occur every year because of distracted driving spurred by cell phone usage. This could soon be mitigated by the continued rise of Bluetooth technology, however, which has already demonstrated a serious capacity to reduce the prevalence of distracted driving on modern roadways.
Bluetooth devices enable you to be hands-free while still communicating with the important people in your life, so drivers mulling new car safety features should consider picking one of the little devices up.
6. Smartphones are forcing teens to drive safely
Smartphones aren't entirely bad when it comes to driving - some new smartphone apps, for instance, can alert the parents of teenage drivers whenever they're morphing into little speed demons. Teen driving apps are now plentiful in the marketplace, with most major insurance providers and tech companies having gone to some length to churn out some app that parents can use. Concerned parents should check them out sooner rather than later.
7. Rear occupancy alerts have your back
Have you ever been worried you've left someone or something in the backseat of your car? Worry no longer, because the rise of rear occupancy alerts is helping drivers everywhere detect movement in the rear end of their vehicles after the keys have left the ignition and they've gone inside. The Hyundai Santa Fe is the most notable car that includes this, though rear occupancy alerts will doubtlessly become more commonplace in an effort to prevent inadvertent abandonments.
8. Forward collision avoidance is essential
One of the car safety features you must have if safety is a priority is forward collision avoidance, which as the name suggest prevents full-frontal collisions in the event of a distracted driver. Nobody wants to admit it, but we've all had close calls with forward collisions, whether it was failing to see a red light or simply eager tailgating that got out of hand.
If your vehicle is gaining so quickly on the traffic ahead of you that you're on a crash course, forward collision avoidance will give you the jolt you need to save yourself. Of all the newest car safety features, forward collision avoidance has some of the greatest potential to save lives going forward.
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