What Safety Features Should I Look for in a New Car?
How an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Can Help
No one can really prepare for a car crash but purchasing a car with improved safety features can help drivers minimize potential injuries. Be careful in choosing a car. Drive safely for your safety and others who use our roads. Be careful in choosing an experience attorney if someone causes you harm so you can recover fair compensation from the responsible parties. Neustrom & Associates
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as many as 2.44 million people were injured in car crashes in 2015 alone.
Airbags
Unlike the original airbags, many systems are now able to detect a person’s presence in the driver’s and passenger’s seats as well as his or her weight. Based on this information the system then deactivates the front airbags when it senses that a child is sitting in the front seat, which in turn prevents facial fractures, punctured lungs, and broken ribs. Most cars also come equipped with side airbags. These new systems deploy from above the front and rear windows and so protect those in the back seat from being cut by glass, hitting their heads, and being ejected from the car during a rollover.
Antilock Brakes And Electronic Stability Control
Antilock brakes have become especially important in cold climates where the streets are often wet and icy. These brake systems prevent a car’s wheels from locking up and sliding, which is often the result of braking hard while traveling at high speeds on slick roads. Antilock brakes prevent this by automatically braking when the system’s sensors detect that the tires are in danger of locking. In addition to antilock brake systems, many car manufacturers also install electronic stability control systems in newer vehicles. These systems use sensors that can detect the sideways motion of a vehicle, its steering angle, and wheel speed. When the sensors indicate that a vehicle is drifting out of its intended path, one or more of the wheels automatically brakes. This, in turn, prevents larger top-heavy cars from rolling over when taking sharp turns at high speeds or when hit from the side by another vehicle.
Backup Cameras And Warning Systems
Many vehicles also come equipped with backup cameras, which allow drivers to see behind them when reversing. Aside from the camera placed in the center console, most systems also have an audible warning system that goes off when the presence of another object is detected in the car’s vicinity. Radar systems and cameras can also help warn a driver by sounding an audible warning when another car is in his or her blind spot, usually by flashing a light on the side mirror. Other systems make a beeping sound to warn a driver who is making a lane change but has not activated the turn signal, which has proven effective in preventing accidents caused by drifting into another lane.
Seat Belts
Seat belts have become a standard safety feature in all newly manufactured vehicles. Recent technological advances, however, have made certain seat belt systems even safer and more effective. For instance, many new vehicles are equipped with inflatable seat-belts in the rear seats, which help spread the force of an impact over a wider area of a passenger’s chest. These belts have proven especially helpful in protecting more fragile passengers, including children from suffering broken ribs and internal damage. Many seat belts are also equipped with pre-tensioners, which allow the belts to retract when a car decelerates and so further reduces the impact on a passenger’s chest.
If you or a loved one recently suffered an injury in a car, truck or motorcycle wreck, caused by another person’s negligence it is crucial to speak with an experienced car accident attorney who can explain your legal options and help defend your interests.