Essential Vehicle Safety Features for 2019

Today’s vehicles are more loaded with safety features than ever before. Old school safety features like 3-point seatbelts, airbags, antilock brakes, and traction control are now complemented by high-tech advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

Whether your business runs on one vehicle or a small fleet, it’s helpful to take a step back and look at which safety features — amid all the bells and whistles — are becoming indispensable in 2019.

The New Standard in Safety Features

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been monitoring the impact of safety features on driving fatalities since 1989. According to a recent IIHS survey, the chances of dying in a crash in a late-model vehicle have fallen by more than a third in three years. Improved vehicle designs and safety technology play a large part in the decline in vehicle fatality risk.

A recent article in Forbes outlines which car safety features will be deemed essential in 2019:

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Available on the majority of new cars today, ACC uses lasers, radar, and cameras to keep a constant safe following distance between you and the car ahead. “If it senses a potential collision, the AAC system will brake heavily and tighten the seatbelts.”

• Blind-Spot Warning (BSW): Using radar or cameras, this system not only alerts you to objects in your blind spot but also warns when vehicles are approaching from the rear by shining small yellow or orange lights in your door mirrors.

• Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): “If a car fitted with AEB senses a potential collision, and the driver does not react in time, then the car will start braking for you.” Rear-end collisions fall by 50 percent on vehicles with AEB according to IIHS data.

• Rear-View Camera: According to Consumer Reports, all light-duty vehicles in the 2018 model year onward come standard with rear-view cameras. These cameras not only give you a clear view of what’s behind you, but protect small children and animals from blind zone accidents. 

• Lane Departure Warning: “Sounds a warning or buzzes your seat or steering wheel to inform that you are crossing the white lines or unintentionally leaving your lane.”

• Lane Keep: If you drift from your lane, lane keep technology will gently steer you back.

3 New Safety Technologies in 2019

• Night Vision: Night vision features can warn you of bicycles, pedestrians, or animals on dark roads at night.

• Smart Headlights: Also known as automatic high beams, smart headlights lower their high beam automatically towards oncoming traffic.

• Facial Recognition Software: According to Forbes, facial recognition software is starting to appear on vehicles like the Subaru Forester. This software can take constant measure of your level of driving alertness and warn you when it sees you are not paying attention. “These warnings, for now at least, come in the form of a buzzer that sounds to alert you, but in the near future, we can expect more proactive systems that vibrate parts of your seat.”

Reviewing your vehicle inventory with an eye toward the new standard in safety features is a great way to get the New Year off to a smart start.

Sources:

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/04/guide-to-safety-features/index.htm