Added: 01/16/2006 |
Safety Features of Cars Important To ManySafety features of cars are a long way from the original concept. Using technology, new car safety features are making the roadways a little safer for us all. Knowing the safety features of cars will help you understand how to remain safe when driving. When you are safe, that means that other drivers are also safe, thus avoiding accidents. Safety features of cars are helping to improve insurance rates which can save us all money.
Safety features of cars are becoming more and more high-tech with each new model year. New car safety features are required to stay in step with new laws set fourth by the Federal Government each year.
Safety features of cars come in three different types. Weight, passive and active safety features of cars all play important roles in keeping us safe as we travel down life's highways.
Weight is probably one of most important safety features of cars. The heavier a car, the more likely you are to survive a crash. Weight and size go hand in hand. If you drive a small, compact car, you are five times more likely to be fatally wounded than you are if you drive a large heavy vehicle. The concept is simple, if there is more car in front and behind you, the less chance there is that the full force of the collision will reach you. A larger car also makes it easier to remove you from the vehicle after a crash, getting you to life-saving medical attention much faster. Small, light compact cars tend to fold in on themselves when involved in a collision thus trapping you inside a smaller space making it more difficult to get you out. The weight and size issue is a double edge sword though. Large heavy cars are far less efficient, making them more costly in the gas mileage area.
Passive safety features of cars are those that help to protect you from death or severe injury if you are involved in an accident. Seat belts are the most common of all passive safety features of cars. Only mandatory since 1967, seat belts increase you chance of survival by seventy-five percent. New laws have made seat belt use mandatory in most states, but many people still refuse to wear them. According to a government study, a fifteen mile per hour crash can be fatal to occupants who do not wear their seat belts. Today, seat belts are designed to automatically tension when the vehicle is involved in a crash, thus stopping the person wearing it from being thrown from the car.
Air bags are another passive safety feature. While they can be dangerous, car manufacturers are developing new systems to make air bags a safer feature. The new car safety feature that has many talking is the dual stage air bag system. With this system, the air bag is deployed in two stages instead of one violent burst. This helps to protect the occupants from injury resulting from air bag deployment.
Active safety features of cars are those that help to prevent an accident. ABS or anti-lock brake systems are widely used as an active safety feature. Technology used in ABS prevents the brakes from locking up when the brakes are depressed. This prevents the car from going into a skid and increases stopping power. ABS systems have made winter time driving much safer.
Another active new car safety feature would be traction control. This system, which is not widely used yet, uses technology to determine driving conditions, such as road condition, which then is translated into changes being made to the handling of the car. This is all done automatically, with the driver doing nothing but concentrating on the road.
Safety features of cars have come a long way. Systems are now in place to keep us safe on the roads. There is however, no substitute for good driving ability. Always be cautious of other drivers and remain focused on what is going on around you.
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