Advancements in safe driving

In choosing a car, features that help motorists drive safely are worth considering, especially as cars continue to innovate in each of its aspects and functions. Recently, local automotive buying and selling platform Philkotse.com listed down high-tech safety features of modern cars that are now considered as must-haves.

First among these is the forward collision mitigation or forward collision warning. Sensors in cars detect objects in front of the vehicle (e.g., walls, lampposts, pedestrians or other cars) and signal the car’s onboard computer to calculate the time remaining before a car hits an object.

“When the system determines that there is a danger of crash or collision, it will trigger an audible or visual signal to alert the driver,” Philkotse continued. “If the driver is not able to take appropriate measures immediately, the system will automatically apply the brakes to avoid or minimize the crash/collision’s severity.”

Adaptive headlights, another helpful tool especially in low-light conditions, “pivot in the same direction as the steering wheel, providing better illumination on the road.” Sensors are also used here, detecting the steering angle and eventually activating electric motors that turn the headlights.

Blind spot warning alerts drivers of cars approaching its blind spot from behind by signaling a flashing light or warning on the side mirror of the car. An upgraded version of this uses haptic feedback, which delivers a vibration through the seat or steering wheel and notifies of a potential hazard on the adjacent lane.

To keep cars in the proper lane, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist technologies go hand-in-hand. “Lane departure warning uses a forward-facing camera to scan road markers, and notifies the driver with an audible or visual warning when it senses that the car starts to veer away from its current lane,” the article explained. However, if the driver does not heed such warning, “lane keeping assist feature takes over either by applying brakes to one side of the car to nudge it back into position or by using the steering wheel.”

For cars encountering one or more vehicles in their path, especially those in a parking lot, rear cross-traffic alert aids in preventing the car from hitting a vehicle that can hardly be seen by the driver. This is possible through sensors located at the car’s rear, which can detect such obstacles and then give an audible and visual signal.

In case of unexpected accidents to the point of incapacitating a car’s occupants, the automatic collision notification is a very accessible emergency tool. “When the system detects that the car has experienced a frontal crash (whether through airbag deployment or sudden deceleration), it will automatically contact an emergency operator who can speak to the driver or passenger,” Philkotse explained.

When before drivers rely on mirrors near their seats to keep their cars safe, rearview cameras now allow them to see the traffic or obstacles behind their cars. These cameras also display lines representing the car’s width (in some systems), night vision capability for low-light conditions, and a warning sound when the car gets too close to an object.