What are the Top New Safety Features for your Car?

If you stop and think about it, riding in a metal crate on spinning wheels at a high rate of speed is a pretty risky thing to do. Yet, we all do it. In fact, most of us hop into a car every day without thinking twice. Why is has it become so normal, and why has it gotten progressively safer to take the wheel, put it in gear, and press the accelerator?

There are safety belts, of course, which weren’t mandated equipment until 1968. In the decades since, engineers have designed systems that protect you and your passengers as you hurtle down the road. First introduced in the 1970s, traction control, anti-lock brakes, and electronic stability control gave drivers more control during emergencies. Of course, airbags save lives—more than 50,000 since they were first deployed in the late 1980s.

What Are The New Features?

But what are the safety features now that can keep you, your passengers, and those you share the road with safer? Here are a few that you might want to consider the next time you purchase a vehicle:

  • Forward Collision Warning(FCW): This feature detects objects or pedestrians in the road ahead and alerts you so you can stop, slow, or avoid a collision. An advanced version of this is Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), a system that perceives a potential collision with an object or pedestrian ahead, gives you a warning, and automatically applies the brakes to avoid or lessen the severity of impact.
  • Lane Departure Warning (LDW): This safety feature monitors your vehicle’s position within the driving lane and alerts you when you approach or cross lane markers. A more cutting-edge option is Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA), which helps you in steering to keep you within the driving lane.
  • Blind Spot Warning (BSW): This feature detects vehicles in adjacent lanes while driving and alerts you to their presence.
  • Rear Cross Traffic Warning (RCTW): This system alerts you when you have the car in Reverse and vehicles are approaching from the side and rear. The more advanced version of this is Rear Automatic Emergency Braking (Rear AEB), which automatically applies the brakes in this situation.
  • Lane Centering Assist (LCA): Gives you continuous active steering so you stay in between lanes. It also goes by the names Active Steer, AutoSteer, and others.
  • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC):  Assists you with acceleration and/or braking to maintain a prescribed distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Some systems can come to a stop and then continue on their own.

Unfortunately, no matter how many systems and features are in place, people and cars get into accidents. That means you are sometimes going to need an autobody repair shop. When that happens, consider bringing your car, van, or light truck to the pros at European Collision Center. We work on nearly every vehicle but specialize in working on BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Tesla, Sprinter, Mini, and other European vehicles. We adhere to all factory repair procedures and have the right tools, equipment, and methodology for flawless cosmetic paint restoration, detailing, minor or major collision repair, and lease return repair.

For European autobody repair done the right way, call ECC at 415-551-9700, send us an email at info@europeancollision.com, or contact us online today!

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