Not all car accidents are preventable. We can make mistakes or encounter hazards that see us involved in severe and even life-threatening collisions. However, that’s not to say that vehicle safety features haven’t made a difference. You may reduce your risk of an accident or accident-related injuries with these innovative safety features:
Fatigue Monitoring Tech
Ask any Charleston SC auto accident lawyer, and they’ll likely tell you that they’ve met with many accident victims involved in fatigue-related accidents. Falling asleep behind the wheel can have deadly consequences, with many people being severely injured or even killed.
Being a responsible motorist can go a long way toward reducing the number of fatigue-related accidents. However, innovative technology available in late-model cars may also make a difference.
Fatigue monitoring technology is designed to provide alerts for drivers based on when they’re driving and how long they’ve been driving for. Such technology is now commonplace in many workplaces, especially for employees operating heavy machineries like cars and semi trucks over extended periods.
Pedestrian Detection
We can’t always control the actions of people around us. Some pedestrian accidents can be unavoidable, no matter how hard we try. However, pedestrian detection technology is aiming to make a difference.
This form of technology involving radars and cameras enables many cars to recognize and detect pedestrians in a potential driving path. Some late-model vehicles can even change direction or brake to reduce the risk of a collision.
Blind Spot Warning
Blind spots are areas outside a vehicle that a driver can’t see. Many vehicle design elements can influence blind spots, such as the front pillar thickness and angle, windshield angles, and the distance between the driver and the pillar.
We may not be able to eliminate blind spots, but we can produce vehicles with innovative blind spot warning technology. Many new cars have audible alerts and visual cues to help drivers be aware of potential hazards in their blind spots. Some of the most advanced technology even automatically moves vehicles at risk of blind-spot-related accidents.
Emergency Service Calling
Not everyone involved in a serious traffic accident is in a position to call for help. Your phone may not be in reach, or you may not even be conscious. Some new vehicles now come with automatic call functions. If your vehicle senses that you’ve been involved in an accident, it can call emergency services on your behalf. This eCall feature has the potential to be life-saving for many people.
Lane Departure Warning System
Being a proficient driver involves staying in your designated driving lane to avoid interfering with oncoming traffic. However, lane departure accidents still happen. Veering into another driver’s lane can have deadly consequences, but lane departure warning systems are making a genuine difference.
These systems are designed to warn drivers or correct their steering when they start to leave their own lanes. According to crash statistics, they’ve resulted in an 11% reduction in lane departure-related accidents.
There’s no way to prevent all accidents and accident-related injuries, but technology is undoubtedly helping. These safety features above are just a few of the many that play a pivotal role in keeping us safe on the road.
