Exploring the Latest Innovations in Car Safety Technology
Coming up are exciting new technologies to keep drivers safe on the roads, but with so many names for these features it can be confusing as to their purpose and operation.
Ford and Honda (including Acura and Lincoln luxury brands ) have announced an agreement to equip all 2021 vehicles with forward collision warning systems that use cameras, radar, and LiDAR technology to warn drivers about potential dangers.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Blind spot monitoring (BSM) employs sensors located around your vehicle to detect vehicles not easily visible through your side mirrors. Some systems also incorporate cameras for this purpose and work in tandem with rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA) systems.
Before changing lanes, always double-check your surroundings before changing lanes. However, this technology can help minimize accidents by alerting you when another car has entered your blind spot and invading it. Some systems even provide audible and/or tactile warnings like vibrating your steering wheel to alert drivers further.
As well as helping to prevent lane-change accidents, BSM also prevents crashes into parked cars and stationary objects – no doubt one of the many reasons drivers love this feature! Furthermore, studies conducted recently demonstrated that cars equipped with BSM experience 23% fewer injuries related to lane-changes compared with those without BSM; that’s significant!
Rear Cross-Traffic Warning
Rear Cross-Traffic Warning can assist drivers in avoiding rear-end collisions while backing out of parking spaces. Using sensors to detect approaching vehicles or objects and warn the driver with visual and audible warnings, this technology also includes automatic brakes if an object comes too quickly into contact.
This safety feature offers increased comfort and convenience by aiding drivers when exiting parking spaces without worrying about surrounding traffic. However, its effectiveness may depend on whether your vehicle is perpendicular to the street; otherwise it may not work effectively in all circumstances.
Some systems use cameras to provide a wide-angle view of their vehicle’s surroundings, while other models rely on radar sensors to monitor both sides of the car, or combine both features into a 360-degree surround camera system for maximum visibility. Wireless systems transmit their signal directly into the cockpit display for easy setup and operation.
Lane Departure Warning
A lane departure warning system alerts you if your car starts veering from its travel lane, and thus lowers the likelihood of head-on collisions or accidents caused by such drift.
An onboard camera on a vehicle continuously detects striped and solid lane markers on streets, roads and highways. If it detects that you unintentionally cross one, an alert may appear on either your dashboard or steering wheel (some systems also offer vibration feedback to alert).
Some cars even feature more advanced versions of this technology known as Lane Keeping Assist or Lane Centering Assist which is intended to guide the vehicle back into its lane when drifting out of it. However, this feature only works on straight roads, and requires your turn signal be turned on before functioning properly.
Forward Collision Warning
Forward collision warning uses sensors to scan the road and detect vehicles in front of you. If you follow too closely or need to brake quickly, visual and audible warnings will alert you with visuals or audible sounds to indicate this situation; failing that, your vehicle will automatically apply brakes if no response has been given – depending on features like this system also tighten seat belts, lower rear headrests, raise folded side door windows or close sunroofs depending on which feature has been enabled.
Forward collision warning features help prevent front-to-rear crashes – the most frequent type of auto accident in the US – but it’s essential that you read your owner’s manual to learn how to deactivate or disable it, as certain conditions could render it less effective. It’s also important to remember that forward collision warning shouldn’t replace attentive driving; always stay aware of where you are on Arlington roads while keeping a safe driving distance between vehicles in front of you.
Autonomous Braking
Autonomous emergency braking systems use sensors to sense obstacles in your path and automatically apply brakes to reduce speed or bring the car to a stop, or detect pedestrians, cyclists or large animals to help prevent collisions. Some advanced systems even operate at highway speeds while letting drivers take their hands off the wheel – like Tesla’s Autopilot system, Cadillac Super Cruise or Ford AutoCruise systems.
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) systems work hand in hand with autonomous braking systems to keep drivers out of harm’s way. FCW utilizes cameras, radar, lasers and sensors to scan the road ahead and warn drivers if they get too close to vehicles in front. When FCW alerts a driver that their distance has increased too closely with another vehicle in front, autonomous braking will immediately apply brakes if they do not act quickly enough to avoid collision.
These systems should help prevent rear-end crashes while simultaneously decreasing deaths and injuries from side-impact and front-end collisions, earning extra credit in our Overall Score calculation for cars that include autonomous emergency braking systems that can work at highway speeds while also detecting pedestrians.
Electronic Stability Control
ESC technology has revolutionized driving by making driving safer by decreasing the likelihood of losing control. It works by sensing wheel slip and intervening to help prevent an imminent spin out, plow out or skid.
Depending on the car, this system may activate brakes at one or more wheels, reduce engine power or both. Additionally, it utilizes steering angle sensors and yaw rate sensors to determine where a driver intends to travel before comparing that path of travel with what actually transpires.
ESC can also be combined with traction control systems, which utilize similar wheel speed sensors as ESC to prevent wheel spin and loss of traction by varying throttle output. While ESC makes driving simpler, it may cause unnecessary interference during aggressive cornering on closed courses – therefore it may be best to disable its feature when used for competition or track day driving.