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| Car Safety Source: Wikipedia |
Car safety is a constant area of growth and improvement on vehicles. More and more features are being added every year to help prevent accidents and personal injury. The ANCAP performs crash test ratings and awards a certain vehicle one through five stars on its overall rating. When shopping for a car you should always look for one that has a five star rating, as it could save your life.
Car safety features may include things such as early warning devices, harnessing like seat belts to protect your body in a crash, and even visual aids such as mirrors and cameras to make the driver more aware of his or her surroundings. A combination of all of these helps to prevent accidents from occurring and also keep the driver safe in the occurrence of an accident. Some of the most important safety features will be discussed in the following.
Seat Belt
The most common feature that comes standard on all cars currently produced is the seat belt. This device by itself can save your life and is so important that it has become a law everywhere in the United States to wear it. Built with two straps, one placed around your hips and one diagonally around your torso, the safety belt will prevent your body from impacting the vehicle and causing serious damage to your body. In a car crash there are two impacts, when your vehicle impacts another object and when your body impacts the inside of the vehicle. When safety belts are worn properly they are the single most important safety feature in any vehicle and come standard for that reason.
Air Bags
Another important safety feature and a newer technology are air bags. Early on these were only built into the steering wheel and dash board for frontal impact accidents. These will prevent the driver and front passenger from slamming their face into the steering wheel or dash board. Now cars build them into the side door panels and all over the vehicle to provide a cocoon of protection all the way around your body. Because they can be a safety hazard for infants and young children cars now have the option to turn off the front passenger airbag.
Anti-lock Brakes
A safety feature built into the mechanics of the vehicle is anti-lock braking. Anti-lock braking does just what it sounds like, prevents your brakes from gripping the wheel so tight that it will cause your car to slide. When you need to stop very quickly the rubber you have on the road is the only thing that will slow you down. If you allow for your tires to be held static they will tend to break their friction and allow your vehicle to slide. Anti-lock brakes will release and squeeze your wheels to prevent this from happening.
Mirrors and Cameras
Two features I will bundle together as one category are rear view cameras and rear and side view mirrors. All of these will give the driver a much better perspective on their surroundings and help prevent an accident or running into an object or person. Side view mirrors now come with a light built into them to alert the driver that an object is in their blind spot to caution them. Rear view cameras help to give a better view of what is directly behind the vehicle and are great for use in larger trucks and SUV’s.
Horn
Finally a feature that may sometimes be overlooked but can be just as important is your horn. Instead of serving as a reactionary device or a means of protection this is a way to alert other drivers of your presence and help to give an early warning to potentially prevent an accident. In addition to visual warnings it is best to utilize all of the body’s senses and also have an audible way to help provide more safety for drivers.
This article was written by Nick Quinlan, member of the RueZiffra.com blog team. Nick is an experienced writer who enjoys covering various topics.
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