Best Vehicle Safety Features

By Sokoloff - Personal Injury Lawyers

January 7, 2023Edited by Admin

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Best Vehicle Safety Features

If you’re planning to buy a new car, you’ll want to consider which safety features you want. Of course, all vehicles in Canada must meet the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, so many safety features are mandatory on new vehicles. These include:

•    ABS (Anti-lock Braking System). ABS keeps wheels from locking and sliding if the driver has to brake suddenly. An ABS system will pump the brakes, allowing the tires to grip the road.
•    Electronic Stability Control (ESC). ESC determines where the vehicle is going in relation to the direction you are steering. If it detects a skid, it will apply the brake on specific wheels. Traction Control is part of the ESC system and can help if wheels are spinning on a slippery surface.
•    Airbags. All new cars are equipped with airbags that inflate in the event of a collision.
•    Disc brakes. Vehicles must have disc brakes on the front and rear wheels.
•    Seatbelts. Lap and shoulder seatbelts are required for every seat in your vehicle.
•    Mirrors. Mirrors should be attached externally on both the driver and passenger sides of the car.
•    Rear-view cameras. Since 2018, rear-view cameras have been a required safety feature in all light-duty vehicles.
•    Child Seat Anchors (LATCH). The LATCH system ensures that your child’s car seat is safely secured. It’s best to have expert help when installing a car seat.

High-Tech Safety Features
But along with these mandatory safety features, there are now a number of high-tech options that can help to keep you and your family safe. These include:

•    Backup Cameras. These reverse cameras assist drivers when backing up. They show a visual of the area behind the vehicle and provide “lines” on the in-car video to aid with parallel parking. Advanced backup camera systems offer a 360-degree panoramic view for maximum visibility.
•    Forward-collision warning (FCW). Sensors such as cameras and radar scan each side of the vehicle and monitor the risk of a crash. You’ll get a visual or audio warning if there’s an obstruction or the “safe space” around your vehicle has been penetrated in time to allow you to break, change lanes, or reduce speed.  

•    Automatic emergency braking (AEB). This system will alert you if it detects a pedestrian or an object that you are likely to hit and will automatically apply the brake if you don’t do so in time.
 
•    Brake assist. This feature works with the anti-lock braking system (ABS) to allow you to brake as effectively as possible. If you need to make an emergency stop, brake assist can help. It works with your anti-lock braking system (ABS) to brake as effectively as possible without locking up the wheels.

•    Rear cross-traffic warning/Rear automatic emergency braking. This feature is useful for backing out of driveways, parking lots or garages, and beeps if it detects vehicles in your path while reversing. Rear automatic emergency braking (AEB) performs a similar function, but will actually apply the brakes automatically in order to avoid a collision with any kind of obstacle.

•    Blind spot warning (BSW). BSW systems alert you if a vehicle is in your blind spot, using sensors that monitor the sides and rear of the vehicle. If you try to change lanes when another vehicle is in your blind spot, you will trigger the BSW warning. More advanced systems will brake or steer the vehicle back into its the lane.

•    Lane assist. A group of sensors detect lines on the road and a warning will beep if the driver gets too close to the line. Some systems will even brake or steer you back into your lane. (This system is not always reliable if the road is covered in snow.)

•    Adaptive cruise control (ACC). ACC works in conjunction with lane assist and helps to keep you a safe distance from the car in front of you. Some systems will actually stop your car and resume speed when traffic begins moving again.

•    Adaptive headlights. This feature adjusts headlights from high- to low-beam when it detects another vehicle approaching and adjusts back to high-beam once the vehicle has passed.

•    Active head restraints. This feature automatically moves head restraints up and forward if a rear impact collision occurs. This helps to absorb the impact to your head and mitigate the effects of whiplash.
•    Driver-attention monitor. This system monitors the vehicle’s movements and steering to help prevent accidents caused by distracted or sleepy drivers.
•    Traffic sign recognition. A camera looks for road signs and reminds the driver of the information when necessary.
•    Head-up display. This feature projects important vehicle data on the windshield so that the driver doesn’t have to take their eyes off the road to find out vehicle speed, navigation information or even the current speed limit.
•    Rain-sensing windshield wipers. These wipers adjust speed according to the amount of rain hitting the windshield.

Although we are moving toward the self-driving car of the future, humans are still in the driver’s seat! These high-tech options can help to keep you and your family safe on the road.