Vehicles are much safer now than in previous years. Certain innovations have made driving safer, and also riding in the passenger’s seat or back seat.
We will talk about some of the best car safety features in the following article. Look for all of these if you want to get a new vehicle sometime soon.
Seatbelts
Seatbelts come standard in all cars now, and they have for many years. However, some people decide not to wear one, and that can cause injury or death in some instances.
Your seatbelt locks you in place if another vehicle hits you. If you sustain a sudden impact, that seatbelt can prevent you from flying through the windshield.
Cops look out for drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts, and you don’t want to invite a ticket from them. Some states will hit your wallet pretty hard for not wearing a seatbelt.
If you have children who can’t wear a traditional seatbelt yet, make sure you buy an appropriate child safety seat for them. The Catania and Catania Injury Lawyers website mentions that “car seat laws are designed to keep children safe.” You need to adhere to those laws if you’re going to have your young child in the car with you.
Automatic Braking
Automatic brakes do not come standard on every vehicle, but more companies and models have them than ever before. Automatic braking stops your vehicle if you’re about to hit something ahead of you. The car senses the impending collision and stops the vehicle for you.
You might let something distract you for a moment. Maybe you’re talking to someone in the passenger’s seat, and you’re not focused on the road ahead. Perhaps your kid does something in the backseat that makes you turn your head for a few seconds.
It doesn’t take long for your vehicle to plow into the car ahead of you if traffic suddenly grinds to a halt. You might also have a deer run across the road, or something else appear in the street ahead of you.
Automatic brakes will prevent a lot of head-to-head collisions, fender benders, etc. If you’re getting a brand-new car at some point or a certified pre-owned one, look for this feature if at all possible.
Rear Backup Cameras
Rear backup cameras come standard on all new vehicles now. The federal government said for years they wanted this feature, and now it’s mandatory.
If your car has a rear backup camera, you can use it when you’re pulling out of the garage or out of your driveway at home. Maybe you have kids in the neighborhood who like to run around playing tag, or you might encounter a cyclist. You might even see a stray dog run out of nowhere and try to pass behind your car.
You can avoid a disaster in all of those situations with a rear backup camera. You can also use one if you’re in a mall or restaurant parking lot. The more you use one, the more you’ll understand how crucial they’ve become for safety purposes.
Blind Spot Alert Systems
Your vehicle comes with a blind spot, if not more than one. With most cars, you need to check the area to your immediate left before you try to change lanes. You can use your mirrors to see everywhere else.
A blind-spot alert system lets you know if someone or something enters that blind spot. Maybe another vehicle pulls up alongside you, or perhaps you have a cyclist or jogger there.
Anything large enough triggers the alert. You get an audible warning sound that should let you know you can’t change lanes at that moment.
While that alert should keep you from having accidents, you’ll also need to correctly identify it. Sometimes, that loud noise can cause you to swerve if you’re not expecting it and you don’t know your new vehicle very well.
Parallel Parking Assist
Some drivers from previous generations learned parallel parking so they could pass their driving tests. They needed to know vehicular basics, but they also needed to know how to parallel park. They knew the instructor would test them on that before they could get that license.
Now, parallel parking assist comes with some cars. It’s not standard, but if you can get a vehicle that comes with it, you should do so.
You can use that feature to parallel park the car for you. You can activate it and take your hands off the wheel.
If the car can safely get into the space, it will. If it does not have enough room, it lets you know that, and you can find another spot. You may never have to learn to parallel park if your car does it for you.
Rear Windshield Wipers
You know that front windshield wipers come standard with vehicles, and they have for many years. These days, some car companies offer rear windshield wipers too.
You might not think about how much your car needs rear windshield wipers until you use them for the first time. When you do, your life will change.
You can turn on the rear windshield wipers in a rainstorm or during a sudden blizzard, and you can enjoy rear visibility like never before. You can glance at the rearview mirror and see when cars or other objects appear behind you. You can see whether they’re close to you or some distance behind.
If you look for all of these features and find a car that has them, you might consider paying more for it. You know power and speed matter with vehicles, and maybe you want something that will turn heads.
However, a safe vehicle matters more than a flashy one. If you have a family and often have kids in the car, you should think about that.
Many of the features we mentioned might come standard with cars soon if they don’t yet. They should prevent many accidents and give you peace of mind.
