If a serious car crash has left you shopping for a new car, you may be overwhelmed and a little confused by all of the high-tech safety features that are available on newer models. These can certainly help you feel safer as you get behind the wheel again, even if the crash wasn’t your fault.
Many features help you react to sudden changes made by other drivers and make you aware of them, even if they’re not taking the proper precautions to make themselves known. Others help protect drivers from their own bad driving habits – like losing their concentration or wandering out of their lane. These are often referred to under the umbrella term of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS. Let’s look at a few.
Automatic emergency braking system (AEBS)
These systems can detect when a collision with the vehicle ahead is imminent and apply the brakes if the driver doesn’t – or apply them harder if the driver isn’t stopping fast enough. This can prevent rear-end collisions.
Even more advanced AEBS can detect pedestrians, bicyclists, people on scooters and others that could be in a driver’s path and apply the brakes. These can prevent deadly “front over” crashes, which often involve children.
Drowsiness detection system
This technology monitors things like how often a driver drifts out of their lane to determine that they might be dozing off, only if for a second. More advanced versions can detect facial and eye movements that indicate a driver is getting drowsy.
Lane-keeping assist
This takes lane departure detection technology that’s very common now one step further. It doesn’t just let you know if you’ve wandered out of your lane. It moves you back into it.
All of the standard and more advanced ADAS features can decrease the risks of a crash. However, as a driver, you can’t begin to rely on them to “watch” the road around you. It’s crucial to continue to remain vigilant. It’s also easy to assume, once you have a car with these features, that everyone does. They don’t. It’s safest to assume that they don’t see you until you’re sure that they do.
If your recent crash has totaled your car, make sure that as you seek compensation from the at-fault driver and their insurance company, you get the settlement you deserve to cover the cost of a new car as well as other expenses and damages.
