While your driving skills are essential for staying safe on the road, there are a host of car safety features and options that can lend a life-saving hand too.
You’ve passed your test so the time has finally come to splash out on that first car. You’ll already have a wish list of the key features that your intended purchase must have – you know, metallic paint, a decent stereo, alloy wheels; the important stuff.
But do give serious consideration to the following technology and options that are proven to boost safety – plus help allay the fears of loan-offering parents in the process.
Safest Night Driving
If you can afford to, tick the adaptive headlights option for beams that swivel in the same direction as you’re turning the steering wheel in, lighting up corners as you go into them. This technology is becoming ever more prevalent in autos with car makers such as Kia offering it on its range of cars including the Cee’d hatchback.
Safest Parking
Source a car with sensors on the front and back bumpers that warn you if you’re getting a little too close for comfort to another vehicle when parking – it can take the edge off parallel parking and also help keep your car away from expensive body shops.
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For the ultimate in handholding, car makers are offering automatic parking tech as an option – for instance, Ford’s Active Park Assist allows the car to park by itself with minimal inputs from the driver.
Safest Motorway Driving
Blind spots are a real danger for any driver, new or old; just a moment of lapsed concentration on the motorway could see you failing to spot a car because they are hidden from sight. Many car makers now offer detectors that use radar to detect a car when it’s in your blind spot and warn you of their presence.
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There are a host of lane departure warning systems available that alert the driver if they are wandering from their motorway lane; from Mazda’s that gives a warning sound if you’re changing lanes without indicating to Honda’s more intrusive technology that makes automatic steering adjustments to get you back on track.
Just how safe would you feel driving a car that’s able to make its own automated steering adjustments?
Safest City Driving
To deal with the stop-and-start nature of Britain’s traffic-choked city streets, accident avoidance systems are a smart choice. These monitor the road ahead and if coming up too fast on a vehicle, will automatically apply your car’s brakes to minimise the risk of an impact.
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Some companies have gone even further with Volvo introducing its Pedestrian Detection system that can spot unwary members of the public and again apply the car’s brakes to stop a potentially lethal collision.
‘If all cars were fitted with CMBS, between 200,000 and 250,000 accidents could be either prevented or mitigated every year.’
- Honda on the benefits of its Collision Mitigation Brake System
Safest Colour
Studies have shown the safest colours for a car are white, gold or yellow because they are most visible. Black vehicles are regarded as the most dangerous – they are 12% more likely to be in a crash than, say, white vehicles during the day and 47% more at risk during dusk or dawn.
The Safest Option
While the technology profiled here can help save lives, there is one essential feature that maximises the chances of staying safe behind the wheel – you. Even driving a car loaded with the latest tech needs a driver who is fully aware at all times. Best to imagine any safety tech as a back-up for your driving skills, not a replacement.
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