Sure, comfort and reliability are important when selecting a vehicle. But your number one priority should always be safety. There have been a lot of new, effective safety features developed in the past few years, and as technology gets better, these options become cheaper and are made available to a bigger market. Some makes like Honda and Subaru are renowned for their safety, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look for the best safety feature. When shopping for a new vehicle, make sure to look for the following safety features. They might just save your life and the lives of your precious passengers.
1. Inflatable Seat Belts
Air bags save countless lives every year, but they also have their setbacks. Airbags rush out of the casing at up to 200 miles an hour and can cause injury and even death in children, shorter people, and the elderly. Still, they save more lives than they take. But what if there was a safer alternative? There is: inflatable seat belts. These seat belts inflate when a crash occurs and spread the impact force to an area five times larger than the standard seat belt. They help reduce neck and head motion and are a a much safer alternative to air bags for kids, people under five feet tall, and the elderly.
2. Heads-Up Displays
Heads-up displays are mounted on the dashboard and reflect vital information on the windshield, just below the line of vision of the driver. They are meant to help keep the driver’s attention on the road instead of on the various dashboard displays. It can show information such as speed, turn signal notification, blind spot monitoring, GPS directions, and audio settings. Death and injury from distraction-related accidents are on the rise as more and more people have mobile devices in their cars, so this feature is instrumental in keeping drivers and their passengers safe.
3. Lane Departure Warnings
You’ve been driving for a long time and are feeling drowsy, or you turn to speak to your passenger and the next thing you know you’re drifting into the oncoming lane or toward the edge of the road. In an instant, you could be colliding with an oncoming vehicle or driving off the road, putting you and your passenger’s lives at risk. Lane departure warnings use video and radar technology to warn you that you are drifting into the wrong direction so that you can correct your vehicle’s course and avoid an accident.
4. Frontal Crash Warnings
If the driver in the car ahead of you is distracted, he or she may suddenly slow down or even stop altogether. Rapid deceleration is difficult to adjust to, especially if you’re distracted and don’t have eyes on the road. Frontal crash warnings use waves to monitor the distance between your car and the one in front of you. They will beep a warning if the distance between the two cars is shortening so that you can apply the brakes in time to avoid a collision. Some systems even break for you, potentially saving you from death or injury.
Safety should always be your first priority when selecting a new vehicle. Hopefully these tips will help you choose wisely and drive safely for years to come. When financing a vehicle make certain that you factor in a large enough loan to cover all of the safety features you need or want. A great finance department will help you get the loan you need at a rate that you can afford.
