Whether you are a muscle car devotee or a speed enthusiast, safety should always be your top priority whenever you hit the road. Nearly 1.25 million people lose their lives in road crashes each year around the world, and an additional 20-50 million sustain injuries, according to the World Health Organization. Nowadays, we are welcome to use technology and prevent car accidents from occurring (Source: Pixabay)
Luckily, recent technology advances may be instrumental in helping to reverse these trends. Although a driver should always be vigilant, these safety systems can protect drivers from making costly errors. Here are some technological inventions that are helping people to drive safer.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
AEB is a new feature designed to prevent rear-end accidents. It uses cameras or radar systems to look out for vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and other hazards that may emerge on the way and pose a danger. When the technology detects an imminent crash, it alarms the driver. The system can independently slow down the vehicle, and if the driver fails to heed the warning, it goes ahead and stops the car.
This capability gives the driver the chance to make a life-saving evasive maneuver, thus reducing the chances of a collision. If an accident does occur, the severity is minimized, and the injuries are lesser. Although you may have the system, you may find yourself in the middle of a crash due to another driver`s negligence. When you find yourself in such a situation, you can always consult injury attorney Joe Stephens to get the justice you deserve.
Lane departure warning
Many things can distract drivers on the road. Simple acts like changing the radio or snacking can land you in big trouble, if your car happens to drift into the wrong lane. A lane departure warning uses cameras to monitor your car`s position within the lane marking.
If your vehicle veers across the lane before you give a signal, it lets out a visible, audible, or vibration notification. It helps you regain concentration and avoid causing a side-swipe accident or a head-on crash if you are driving in a two-way lane. An advanced lane-keeping system can automatically take control of the car when the driver doesn`t respond and steer it back into its lane.
Blind Spot Detection Warning
Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, there is always a blind spot. These grey areas are hazards that drivers must contend with each time they sit behind the wheel. In fact, blindspots account for 840,000 accidents and 300 deaths each year in the U.S, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Some situations can be quite perilous when you are unable to monitor blind zones, especially at intersections, when changing lanes or backing up. Blind spot technology utilizes special cameras or radars to constantly check and update you on what is going on around the vehicle. They also warn you if there is a car you can`t see.
Backup Camera
Consider buying a car with a backup camera (Source: Pixabay)
Although this feature isn`t the newest on the market, it comes with tremendous benefits. It not only helps you to avoid causing a parking lot fender-bender accident, but it also prevents you from hitting pedestrians or cyclists when reversing or pulling out of a parking spot. This technology uses a 360-degree camera to get all angles of the car`s rear, and this capability increases visibility by 46%, according to a Forbes article.
Wrapping Up
Crash avoidance technologies can make a massive difference on the road. These innovations have so far proved capable of reducing the number of accidents and minimizing the severity of crashes. As you adopt these modern technologies, don`t forget to stay alert whenever you are driving.
