Essential Safety Features that Everyone should demand in Cars
Every year thousands of families lose their loved ones because of car accidents.
These accidents occur either due to the carelessness of the driver or due to a fault in the vehicle. After the occurrence of this misfortune, the only thing left is tears in the eyes of the family and memory of the deceased.
To avoid this, it is essential for a driver to concentrateon their driving. Apart from this, every automobile company must ensure that their vehicle should have essential safety features.
Some of the most prominent safety features in a car are given below:
Airbags
In case the car collides with some other vehicle or some big object like a tree or house, there is a huge chance of the driver’s face or chest getting smashed by the steering wheel.
In these circumstances, an airbag plays a vital role.They are located in various locations in the vehicle including the steering wheel, dash, side panels and others and are typically designed in a bag format. The primary airbag is located at the center of the steering wheel under the center pad or horn-switch. The bag quickly inflates when there is an impact to the vehicle causing the vehicle to quickly decelerate or stop. During a collision, sensors located in the bumper or sides of the vehicle send a signal to the airbag electronic controller unit which senses the amount and direction of the impact based on information sent to it from the sensors. The Electronic Control Unit responds by sending a voltage or ground signal to the appropriate airbag(s) which causes them to quickly inflate, usually in about 3/100’s or .03 seconds. This process protects the driver and passengers from a massive hit.
Adaptive Cruise Control
It can be usually seen on the road that two vehicles,one behind the other, are running very close to each other.
In this case, the adaptive control cruise system is used to maintain a minimal distance by the use of a radar unit. With the use of ACC, the car gets automatically slowed down when the system engages the braking at upto half its maximum braking potential. This prevents following distances which are too close and unsafe which can result in injury and death.
Anti-lock Braking System
It is also known as the anti-skid braking system. ABS works on the principle threshold braking and cadence braking.
The main purpose of this system is to prevent the wheels from getting locked up on the application of brakes. This will cause increased braking distances and loss of vehicle control. It consists of 4 main components: speed sensors, pump, controller, and valves.
The system uses wheel-speed sensors to monitor wheel speed which sends the signals to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit). If a wheel locks up when the brakes are applied, the signal from the locked wheels will be different (lower in frequency) than the other wheels. The Control Unit responds by sending a signal to electrically controlled valves which control hydraulic pressure to the wheel-brakes. The valves will then quickly release pressure from the affected wheel(s), and then then re-applying pressure when the wheels have once again regained grip on the road. This eliminates wheel skid, loss of vehicle control and significantly reduces braking distances in most situations.
Automotive Emergency Braking
Sometimes the driver’s loses his focus andcan get distracted even for a moment. At this moment, he/she might losecontrol over the car. In such cases, AEB plays a prominent role.
The purpose of automotive emergency braking is to apply brakes in extreme conditions when the driver of the vehicle fails to do so. AEB uses cameras or radar-based sensors to track cars. The AEB system first alerts the driver by giving warnings. The warning could be in the form of sound, vibration or alarm. Even if the driver fails to put on the brakes after getting an alert warning,the system immediately goes online to automatically stop the car.
Also Read: Signs Of Brake Problems In Cars And How To Deal With Them
Electronic Stability Control
When driving, we often experience sudden twists,turns and compromised road conditions no ideal to safe vehicle control. In extreme conditions to avoid any misfortunes, the driver needs to take emergency actions. These maneuvers by a driver may lead him or her to lose control over the vehicle resulting in vehicleplowing or understeering from the front or vehicle spinning or oversteering in the rear.
The ESC system plays an important role to control the vehicle on slick surfaces or when going too fast into a curve or turn. It uses an automatic braking system and automatic drivetrain management to control vehicle slowing, engine power and power distribution to the wheels to prevent the direction of the vehicle from changing too rapidly which can cause spin-outs and loss of vehicle control. The ESC is also known as Vehicle Stability Control, Electronic Stability Program and Dynamic Stability Control depending on the vehicle manufacturer.
Blind-spot Monitor
Before talking about blind-spot monitors, it is necessary to know about the blind spot.
A blind spot is an area around the car which is not viewable to the driver. This area is not visible from either side-view or interior rear-view mirrorsdue to the way the vehicle, windows and mirrors are designed and angled. Problems which can arise from this include changing lanes into the immediate path of a vehicle which couldn’t be seen resulting in accidents, injury and death.
To eliminate this flaw, blind-spot monitors are used. It is a device that detects the presence of other vehicles on the side and rear of the driver.The system typically gives an audible and/or visual warning that a vehicle is in the driver’s blind-spot including “beeps” and a small amber flashing indicator light at the bottom of the side-mirror(s). This system carries a variety of different names including BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) by Volvo and BSW (Blind Spot Warning) by Mitsubishi.
Backup cameras
Controlling the backward motion of a vehiclecan be one of the most difficult tasks when driving. Keeping an eye on the road ahead of you while controlling the steering to move the vehicle in the backward direction while being careful to avoid people or small children walking or playing behind the vehicle,can be a demanding proposition at times.
Backup cameras play a crucial role in helping the driver control the backup motion of the vehicle. It provides a complete rear view to the driver so they can safely and easily move the car in the backwards direction. This allows the driver to keep their head and face pointed forward toward the screen so they can see a more complete view of vehicles, obstacles, people and children in front of and behind the vehicle. The result is greater confidence and safety when the car is being driven in reverse.
Above are some of the most important safety devices that most late-model vehicles are equipped withwhich are designed to improve driver and other’s safety and to help prevent them from severe accidents.
Get your car inspected to ensure its safe in case of an accident. Contact the highly experienced and skilled Car Inspection Agency in Los Angeles(“Car Inspectors”)to ensure full-proof safety of your cars.