New safety features, some good, some not so much
(September 16, 2011) Even though vehicle fatalities are down to their lowest levels ever notes Consumer Reports, there is still more work to be done to prevent the over 32,000 motor vehicle deaths we’re still seeing. One area is through new safety technologies that can help avoid a crash altogether. Automakers have been touting these new car safety features, but some are better than others.One interesting system is an expanded-field rear-view camera such as the one Nissan has that offers 360 degrees of visibility, allowing the driver to see all around the vehicle. It is helpful especially if you have children, who may be hard to see or leave toys around your driveway. On the road, blind-spot alert systems now found in a variety of vehicles can be useful in letting the driver know a vehicle is in their blind spot and to not change lanes. We have found these increasingly available blind-spot systems helpful, but not foolproof, as they can occasionally give false positives from objects along the road.
Pre-crash avoidance systems have the potential to help avoid crashes by detecting a potential impact and applying the brakes automatically, while preparing the car for a collision. In our experience, we found many such systems to be overly sensitive although Volvo’s City Safety system with auto braking does a good job. Lane departure systems too seem sensitive in most cases.
It seems, many technologies have promise, but their current performance varies. For 2012 look for an increased number of improvements as automakers seek to enhance their safety systems.
As once remarked by legendary auto executive Lee Iacocca, “safety sells!”
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