There’s no doubt that seatbelts and airbags save lives. But as effective as these technologies have been (and will continue to be), automotive safety has come a long way in recent years.
Below is a look at some of the popular driver-assistance technologies in today’s cars, including the ones you’ll find right here at Zimbrick Automotive.
4 Driver-Assistance Systems That Change the Way We Drive
Forward Collision Prevention
Forward Collision Prevention is designed to do exactly as the name implies: Prevent a collision in the front of the car. This suite of technology includes four main features.
- Forward Collision Warning. The detection of a potential collision followed by a warning to the driver to take action.
- Automatic Emergency Braking. The brakes are automatically applied when a forward-facing collision is approaching.
- Pedestrian Detection / Automatic Braking. Pedestrians are detected in the front of the vehicle and a warning is issued to the driver. If no immediate action is taken, brakes are automatically applied.
- Adaptive Lighting. The vehicle detects oncoming cars and automatically switches your headlights to low beams and then back to high beams once the car passes. Adaptive Lighting can also include headlights that turn around corners before you do to keep the road ahead illuminated.
Lane and Side Assist
Lane and Side Assist helps protect drivers from hazards that are found to the side of the vehicle, such as other vehicles or roadside objects like guardrails or trees. This technology is also made up of four main features.
- Lane Departure Warning. Lane markings are monitored by the vehicle and a warning is issued to the driver if the car begins to veer outside of the designated lane with no turn signal activation.
- Lane Keep Assist. This feature gently steers the car back into the lane if it begins to drift out of place.
- Blind Spot Detection. You are alerted whenever another vehicle enters your blind spot.
- Lane Centering Assist. Automatic steering keeps the vehicle positioned in the center of the lane.
Distance Control
Part of staying safe and avoiding a collision involves maintaining a safe distance from the car in front of you. There are three distinct features that assist with this.
- Adaptive Cruise Control. The vehicle automatically adjusts its cruise control speed in order to maintain a preset distance from the vehicle in front.
- Highway Pilot. Automatic braking and accelerating is used to maintain lane position and following distance.
- Traffic Jam Assist. Automatically brakes and accelerates the vehicle in order to safely keep up with the stop-and-go flow of a traffic jam.
Backing Up and Parking
A number of minor accidents occur when parking or backing up and there are three safety technologies designed to curb these types of fender benders.
- Rear Automatic Braking. Monitors the rear of the vehicle when backing up and automatically applies the brakes if a collision is impending.
- Rearview Backup Camera. Allows the driver to view the rear of the vehicle by watching through a dashboard camera.
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Drivers are alerted of potential collision with objects that are outside the range of the rearview camera.
See These Advanced Safety Systems in Madison, WI
Test out some of today’s popular safety technologies yourself by test driving some of the new cars for sale at Zimbrick Automotive in Madison, WI. Our inventory features vehicles equipped with the very latest in safety technology and our staff of experts can walk you through those features and answer any questions you may have.
Visit us today for a glimpse of the safety of tomorrow.
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