With the amazing technologies we now have, vehicles that can park themselves, car radios that can hold enough music for a cross-country trip and climate controls that can measure occupants' body temps, it is still safety technology that is in the most demand. I asked Jody Victor to give us some insight into vehicle safety features.
Jody Victor: As you get ready to replace your vehicle, you may want to familiarize yourself with available safety features. All cars and all features are not alike nor do they have the same availability. Here's what's out there!
Pre-Collision Systems - This technology uses various methods to sense and prepare for a collision. When a sensor signals an impending crash, the system takes preemtive action such as pre-tensioning the seat belts, preloading the brakes and even aligning airbags to better protect occupants.
Electronic Stability Control - To help drivers maintain control, ESC compares steering and braking imputs with the car's lateral acceleration, rotation and individual wheel speeds. If a difference in the driver's intended path and that of the car is detected, brakes can be automatically applied and the throttle can be dialed back until the vehicle is back on track.
Brake Assist - This technology resulted from a study that determined that most drivers do not push the brake pedal hard enough in emergency situations. So when sensors detect "panic" braking, Brake Assist applies maximum brake boost and therefore decreases stopping distance.
Dynamic Head Restraints - Few people adjust their car's headrests properly to prevent whiplash, so some vehicles now come with active head restraints that move into more effective positions when a car is rear-ended. Volvo's Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) and Saab's Active Head Restraint )SAHR) go a step further by getting the seats to help in mitigating whiplash injuries.
Dual-Stage Airbags - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stipulated that all passenger cars and light trucks produced after September 2006 must include passenger-side front airbags that are sutomatically enabled or disabled depending on whether a front passenger is detected (typically by seat sensors), and some now deploy in stages depending on the severity of a crash or the weight of the front-seat passenger.
Side and Supplemental Airbags - Side airbags can greatly reduce injuries, since occupants are often more vulnerable than in front- or rear-end crashes, where there's more of a "crumple" zone to protect them. Side airbags are not mandated by the NHTSA, however, and auto manufacturers can decide where and how to deploy them, and whether they're a standard or optional feature. Some luxury cars also include supplemental airbags, such as with BMW's Active Knee Protection and Head Protection systems.
Blind Spot Warning Indication - The Volvo S80's Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) uses a camera on each side-view mirror to scan adriver's no-see zone and indicators in the corners of the front windows alret the driver to the presence of vehicles. The Side Assist in the Ausi Q7 and Side Blind Zone Alert in the 2008 Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS and STS work in much the same fashion, except the indicators are located on the side-view mirrors, and GM's system use radar instead of cameras.
Lane Departure Warning System - Infiniti's Lane Departure Warning (LDW) System uses a camera in the rearview mirror to detect when the vehicle gets close to the lane marker and sounds an audible warning. GM will also offer the technology on the 2008 Cadillac DTS and STS, and Buick Lucerne.
Night-Vision Camera System - Hitting an animal or pedestrian while driving after dark is an accident night-vision cameras can help prevent. BMW's night-vision system senses thermal energy and Mercedes' projects infrared light in front of the vehicle, and both show night-vision images on a screen in the dash.
Adaptive Headlights - This technology directs light from the headlights in the direction that the steering wheel is turned, to help illuminate where the driver intends the car to go. A feature currently found only on higher-end cars, adaptive headlights will likely trickle down to more affordable vehicles.
Thanks, Jody! We'll be considering these safety feature in our future purchases.