From Dennis Goebel, Vice President, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
The once imaginary car of the future could be in your driveway today. Safety features that not too long ago seemed like science fiction—such as automatic braking when a car senses an impending collision—can be found in today’s vehicles. Here are some of the available and upcoming safety features that can help save lives and prevent injuries:
- Forward-collision-avoidance warning systems: This technology sounds an alarm when it senses you may crash into something ahead. Some models even automatically apply the brakes under certain circumstances to help you avoid an oncoming crash.
- Lane-departure warning systems: These increasingly available systems are designed to warn you if you stray from your lane without using a turn signal. They’re like a high-tech version of rumble strips that make noise if you’re about to drive off a road.
- Adaptive headlights: Optional on some car models, this feature allows your headlights to follow your turns instead of remaining stationary—for example, as you go around dark curves. In other words, they steer along with your car.
- Speed and curve warnings: More powerful examples of GPS-based vehicle technology are just around the corner. Already being tested in Europe and Australia is built-in Intelligent Speed Adaptation, which issues speeding alerts. It can also make it more difficult to press further down on the accelerator in addition to automatically decelerating the vehicle.
- Event data recorder: Similar to the black box on an airplane, this device records valuable information during an automobile crash, such as the date and time of the incident, the vehicle speed, braking status, force of impact, and which seatbelts were buckled at the time.
For more on this topic from our partner, Liberty Mutual, click here.
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