It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when an airbag was seen as an exciting new trend in car safety, but it wasn’t until 1998 that cars and light trucks were required to have them installed. And even though we’re not soaring through the air in our space cars George Jetson style, car safety technology has become less of a trend and more of a standard feature on most newly manufactured vehicles. Below are a few of the most popular:
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Okay, so our cars can’t drive us to Chickfila at the push of a button (yet), but they can keep us at a safe driving distance from the car in front of us when we’re cruising down the highway. ACC uses technological wizardry (actually it’s comprised of sensors and radars) to accelerate and decelerate based on the speed of the vehicle directly in front of you. It can even cause your vehicle to brake (and tighten the seatbelts) if it senses a potential collision.
Blind Spot Detection
This incredible feature alerts you when a vehicle is hovering around your blind spot by lighting up small orange or yellow lights on your side mirrors. And if you attempt to merge lanes when a vehicle is in your blind spot, your car will alert you so that you know to stay put until it’s safe.
Lane Departure Warning
We all have the best intentions of being alert drivers, but sometimes our minds wander. And when they do, oftentimes our steering wheels wander with them. Lane departure warning is a feature that either buzzes or steers your vehicle back in its lane if it detects that you’ve started to veer.
Rear-View Camera
Being able to see what’s happening directly behind your vehicle without having to turn around is what makes a rear-view camera indispensable. Aside from giving you up to 180 degrees of visibility (which helps alert you to children, pets, or obstructions that might be behind you), it helps those with mobility issues get a clearer view of what’s around them before reversing.
Technology is great, but being a safe driver starts with knowing and obeying the rules of the road. A1 Driver offers driver improvement courses that educate students on how to drive responsibly. We provide both in-person and online courses.