Cars continue to get safer every year. New cars are equipped with a number of advanced technologies designed to keep people safer – both drivers and passengers alike. This reality has helped to prevent accidents and to keep people from severe injuries even when they are involved in a wreck.
Unfortunately, there are those who believe this technology is making people worse at driving. Trusting the tech, they may take chances that they otherwise wouldn’t and then make mistakes as a result of their own complacency. An example of this could be if a driver looks away from the road, counting on an automatic braking system to adjust the car if there is a hazard.
10 examples of new auto technology
Of course, automatic braking is just one example of technology that seems to be simultaneously advancing safety and mitigating some inherent safety-related instincts on the part of motorists. Some of the common safety technologies found in new cars include:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): This system helps reduce the odds of rear-end collisions by automatically adjusting the car’s speed so that there is always a safe following distance.
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): AEB systems are useful when a driver doesn’t respond in time to a hazard ahead of them. It can detect a potential collision and automatically apply the brakes to at least slow the car down before it crashes if an accident can’t be avoided.
- Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist: A lane departure warning system monitors turn signals and lane lines, alerting the driver when the car begins to drift out of the proper lane. A lane keeping assist system, by contrast, can gently steer the vehicle back to the right position.
- Blind Spot Monitoring: To prevent dangerous lane changes, especially on the interstate, this system tells the driver if there is an unseen car in their blind spot.
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert: Many accidents happen when backing up, but this system warns the driver when traffic is detected on either side.
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW): FCW systems, like automatic braking systems, look for potential hazards and upcoming collisions ahead of the vehicle.
- Pedestrian Detection: Using cameras and sensors, these systems can identify pedestrians or cyclists in the vehicle’s path and provide alerts or apply the brakes if a collision is imminent.
- Automatic High Beams: These systems monitor surrounding lighting conditions, such as sunlight and oncoming headlights, and can automatically switch between high and low beams.
- Advanced Airbag Systems: New cars often feature advanced airbag systems that can adjust deployment based on factors such as seat occupancy and crash severity.
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC): When the car skids, slides or loses traction, ESC helps a driver maintain control.
Some safety technologies are standard, like backup cameras, but many vary depending on a vehicle’s make and model. Plus, as noted above, human drivers are still going to cause accidents, even with the best tech in the world available to them. Therefore, if you have been injured as a result of another driver’s negligence, be sure you know what legal options you have available to you.
Identifying the underlying factors that may have caused a crash can help people demand personal and financial justice after a wreck.
