Driving a car comes with inherent risks, but modern vehicle safety technology aims to reduce accidents and injuries. Despite this, there are still more than 9 million vehicle accidents every year, with 3,470 motor vehicle deaths recorded in December 2023. Automakers continue developing innovative systems to prevent crashes and protect occupants when a collision occurs. Here are 9 important safety features that can help reduce car accidents.
Vehicle Airbags
Most new vehicles have driver and front passenger airbags, along with side airbags that protect the head and torso in side impacts. Knee airbags shield legs from impacting the dashboard or console. Newer cars may have up to 10 airbags placed throughout the cabin. Properly positioned and deployed airbags dramatically lessen injuries in frontal, side and rollover crashes. Note that not all airbags deploy correctly – 67 million Takata airbags were recalled and 11 million had still not been replaced at the end of 2022.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) prevent wheels from locking up and skidding during hard braking situations. This allows the driver to maintain steering control and avoid obstacles while braking heavily. ABS reduces stopping distances on slippery roads and prevents accidents due to wheel lockup.
Traction Control
Traction control works in conjunction with ABS to prevent drive wheel slippage and loss of traction. It detects when a driving wheel starts to spin and applies the brakes to that wheel while possibly reducing engine power. This transfers torque to the wheels with better grip.
Stability Control
Electronic stability control (ESC) builds on ABS and traction control. It brakes individual wheels and reduces throttle when it senses oversteer or understeer during cornering or avoidance maneuvers. Stability control helps keep the car traveling in the intended direction. NHTSA says stability control reduces single-vehicle crashes by 50%. It’s a key safety feature that’s now mandatory on all new passenger vehicles.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Blind spot monitoring systems use rear-facing radar or other sensors to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes that may not be visible in side mirrors. If the driver uses a turn signal when a vehicle is in the blind spot, a warning light illuminates to prevent unsafe lane changes. Blind spot monitoring reduces the likelihood of car accidents during merges and lane changes. There are nearly 840k blind spot accidents every year – seek legal help if you are involved in one.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
When backing up, rear cross traffic alert warns drivers about approaching vehicles they can’t see. Radar sensors or cameras detect cross traffic about to enter the backup path, triggering audible and visual alerts. This parking safety feature helps prevent backing collisions with other cars, pedestrians and objects.
Automatic Emergency Braking
Automatic emergency braking uses sensors such as radar, cameras and lasers to detect imminent frontal collisions. The system provides a warning if the driver fails to react, then automatically applies the brakes if they don’t respond in time.
Lane Departure Warning
Lane departure warning systems monitor vehicle position using cameras or sensors to ensure you don’t drift out of your lane if your attention wanders. They provide an alert if you start moving across lane markings without signaling. Some systems also have lane keep assist, which applies steering corrections to keep you centered in your lane if no turn signal is used.
Backup Cameras
Rearview cameras activate when shifting into reverse, displaying the area behind the vehicle. Backup camera systems with guide lines help drivers avoid curbs, pedestrians, objects and cars that are difficult to see from inside the vehicle. Rear cameras greatly improve safety when maneuvering in reverse and have been mandatory on new cars since 2018.
Modern safety technology like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and stability control has led to a significant decline in traffic fatalities over the past decade. Continued development of accident avoidance systems that watch the road, detect hazards, and intervene if the driver fails to act will further improve road safety in the future.