The automotive industry has been working so hard on improving vehicle safety since the invention of the automobile back in 1879. They were very generous about numerous safety campaigns that promoted safety on the road. Some of the best inventions in vehicle safety were the three-point seat belt from the late 1950s and airbags, which appeared in 1973. Yet, today we are experiencing massive development in this area that it is hard to keep the track with innovations. Modern times impose a dynamic tempo when it comes to all areas of life, including the automotive world.
The best accident prevention technique is to pay attention to the road and not to rush things. On the other hand, it would be a pity not to try out some of the remarkable, impressive, creative, and even amazing vehicle safety ideas automobile giants came up with in the last few years. Safety-feature landscape highlight numerous applications that can save hundreds of lives and provide passengers and pedestrians with maximum safety. What is even better, some of these ideas are so easy to implement that you simply can’t miss them!
Adaptive Headlights
Thanks to adaptive headlights, you won’t ever have to wonder what is beyond the curve or the range of your car. You probably had an experience of a night drive on the winding two-lane road that has no streetlights. Approaching a curve may bring many surprises, even though you are driving at about 40mph. However, with adaptive highlights, you don’t have to guess what is behind the curve ever again. As their names suggest, adaptive headlights bend in the road while giving you the optimal view of objects in front of you.
Did you know the number of fatal accidents is doubled in comparison to day driving? That is right – we are talking about more than 46% of accidents in the night-time. However, if we have in mind that low-light conditions hinder visibility, especially around curves, it is a bit clearer of how accidents happen.
Adaptive headlights illuminate even the side of the road, not to talk about highlighting everything that is on the way in front of your wheels. The key to these it a self-leveling system that points the light at the right angle, according to the position of the vehicle. The electronic control unit monitors and controls the headlights, while there are certain subcomponents included, such as a yaw sensor, steering input sensor, wheel speed sensors, and small motors.
Adaptive headlights are a perfect solution for low-light conditions, twilight, and winding roads at night. Some of the potentially dangerous situations include:
- Blinding oncoming traffic with your headlights as you round a curve,
- An animal standing on the road,
- A vehicle that drifts into your lane unexpectedly,
- Driving on a narrow road when it is hard to assume whether another motorist is coming.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
One of the most important advance vehicle safety ideas is the automatic emergency braking system. It precisely detects an object in front of the car and acts accordingly to minimizing the severity of an accident or a crash. Using AEB in your vehicle will lessen the chances for up to 50% of experiencing a front-to-rear crash.
Manufacturers provide different options, as come system include radar, camera, or sensor detection. This type of device gives a signal of an imminent accident to the driver through instrument panel flashing, or through an audible beeping. Some of the most onward solutions is a system that tightens the seat belt automatically in case it detected an object.
The point of automatic emergency braking is to make a driver react to the signal, but even if that doesn’t happen – the technology will take on control. Some AEB detect pedestrians, while others don’t, depending on the manufacturer. Because of that, it would be great to get familiar with the system before you start using it. Automatic emergency braking is a powerful feature, but it can’t replace a focused driver. It would be too much to expect the vehicle to do everything on its own. That is why AEB belongs to the group of most amazing vehicle safety ideas.
Cabin Camera
Automakers tend to make drivers keep their eyes on the road, while the cabin camera is one of the channels through which they are trying to maintain so. If you spend a solid couple hours of the day in your vehicle, it would be great to get used to somebody watching you. A cabin camera will give you the feeling as you have one more pair of eyes, as it monitors everything happening inside your vehicle. It even recognizes if your head is pointed towards the road or not, if you take your hands off the wheel, or if you are looking down at your phone, and what are your kids doing in the back seat.
Child safety has been frequently been brought up in the last few years. The fact that an average number of children under 16 who die in car accidents each year is pushing 2,000 in the US, that’s enough reason to be able to see what they’re doing while driving in the back. Cabin cameras detect how many seats are occupied in the vehicle and activates the appropriate airbags according to that number. What is more, it can even verify if the passengers have buckled their seatbelts.
It’s absolutely valuable that you won’t have to turn your head constantly, and this significantly maximizes your attention to what’s on the road. Yet, if you still do this when you are waiting for a traffic light to turn on, and eventually notice dirty upholstery of your vehicle, it would be better to sweep the mess up. In case you need advice about the best upholstery cleaner, AutoWise has reviewed products that are worth every cent.
Conclusion
As you can see, the automotive industry came up with some creative and amazing vehicle safety ideas that can save numerous lives on the road. Now you can have a personal car assistant that will warn you about the eventual obstacle, a pedestrian, or an animal in front of your car. On the other hand, taking care of your kids on the backseat doesn’t require you to turn head all the time anymore.
For all those situations when you have to react in a second, automatic emergency system may be your life-saver. Thank goodness we can still do something to improve our own safety, as well the safety of other drivers on the road.