Vehicle Safety Advancements For Teens & New Drivers: The Top 10

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

The safest vehicles are cars, trucks, or SUVs with the best technology. One of the more advanced safety systems offered is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). ACC makes use of state-of-the-art radar sensors to keep your car or truck at an acceptable distance from vehicles in front of you and your loved ones. Here’s how the ACC feature works:

• The driver establishes the cruise control maximum speed.
• The ACC radar system keeps pace with the cars in front of you.
• When identifying an imminent collision, the ACC will utilize the car’s AEB system (see the next safety innovation) to slow down or stop the vehicle.

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)

Distracted driving is a greater concern nowadays. This is largely due to personal device use while driving, especially with teen drivers. AEB systems are designed to prevent an accident before it occurs. In the event of an imminent impact, the AEB system will:

• Alert the driver with an audible alarm – some systems utilize vibrating seats and steering wheels, as well.
• If the driver does not apply the brake promptly enough to avoid an accident, the AEB system will apply the brakes automatically to help avoid or minimize the seriousness of a forward collision.
• In the event the driver needs additional braking help, the next safety innovation kicks in.

Dynamic Brake Support (DBS)/Crash Imminent Braking (CIB)

More vehicle makers are adding additional automated braking systems to help drivers in avoiding or drastically reducing the seriousness of a mishap. The inclusion of a DBS/CIB system helps the driver by:

• Automatically adding brake pressure in the event that the car senses the driver’s braking pressure is insufficient to stop the vehicle prior to an accident.
• In the event that the driver fails to apply the brakes at all, the CIB system will automatically apply the brakes to minimize the damage or prevent of an accident.

Adaptive Headlights

With these unbelievable head lights, dark corners on improperly lit roadways are a distant memory. Linked to the steering system, the headlights turn in the same direction the steering wheel is turning in order to brighten the area the car is turning into. This innovation is particularly helpful in rural areas with limited or no outside lighting.

Forward Collision Warning

Thanks to this safety innovation, distracted driving is becoming much less of a problem. Cameras, radar, and even lasers are masterfully used to alert drivers when obstacles in front of them are getting too near to the front of your vehicle. Throw in an automatic emergency braking system and you can relax when your teenage driver gets on the road.

Blind Spot Detection

Thanks to this safety feature, the aggravating blind spot has finally been eliminated. Lasers and\or video cameras keep an eye out in areas on your vehicle that most drivers are unable to. A caution alert ensures you know about another car’s presence before you move into their lane.

Lane Departure Warning (LDW)/Lane Keeping System (LKS)

Even more good news for distracted drivers. Video cameras and lasers are also utilized to watch the lane markings on the typical highway. When the system detects the car has started moving out of its lane, it will alert the driver with alarms and lights, a vibrating seat, and even a vibrating steering wheel.

Rear-View Camera

Not to be confused with back-up cameras, the difference between these two incredible innovations is stark. While back-up cameras typically have a restricted field of vision, rear view cameras typically utilize wide-angle lenses to give the driver a much broader view of what or who is behind them.

TPMS: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

As the name indicates, your car, truck, or SUV’s TPMS sensors monitor the air pressure in allfour tires and notifies the driver with dashboard lights and even an alarm should the tire pressure reach critical levels.

Facial Recognition Software

Finally, we have one of the most recent innovations to our automotive safety suites. Thanks to improvements in face recognition technology, vehicles are starting to add this technology to keep track of driver awareness. Once calibrated to the driver’s distinct facial features, the software can spot slight alterations in driver attention levels. The software will then notify the driver with alarms and dashboard lights. This being a new safety feature, drivers can expect advanced signaling measures like vibrating seats and steering wheels.