Top 10 Vehicle Safety Devices

Sometimes, we wonder if technology is hurting more than helping us, and in some cases, it may be. One way that today?s technology is really helping us is by providing us with many more devices in our vehicles to keep us safe. Throughout the history of motor vehicles, there have been some significant changes. For instance, in the beginning, vehicles didn?t even have seatbelts or windshield wipers. We?ve come a long way since Henry Ford first started rolling cars off the assembly line. Today?s automobiles have all kinds of wonderful features designed to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Here are 10 of the top vehicle safety devices you need to be aware of, especially when purchasing a new vehicle:

1. 1

   Airbags

   Some people think that these are actually dangerous, but they have in fact saved many, many lives. There are two main types of air bags, dual stage airbags and side airbags. If needed, the dual stage airbags will go off at different times, one in a minor accident and both in a more serious crash. Side airbags help to prevent drivers and passengers from getting head injuries. Small children should be in their car seats, in the back seat of your vehicle, where there are no airbags that can actually injure them rather than save their lives.
2. 2

   On/Off Switches

   Many vehicles are equipped with on/off switches for airbags. This is for the times when children are going to be sitting near them. There have been many instances of airbags injuring children, and you can eliminate this risk by using the switch. There have been many incidents of injuries and even death in small children because of airbags, and this switch will eliminate that problem.
3. 3

   Passenger Sensing System

   This has been created to reduce injuries or death to smaller children. This is an advanced airbag system that can tell the size of the person in the seat, with sensors that get information about the front-seat passenger?s weight and the pressure on the seat. This information tells the airbags whether or not to go off in the event of a frontal crash.
4. 4

   Energy-Absorbing Steering System

   This is designed so that it will compress upon impact, lessening the risk of rib injuries to drivers. This has been proven to work in many instances, and it has reduced the risk of driver fatalities by 12%, and serious injuries and death risks have been reduced by 38%. When there is a crash, drivers are often thrown forward, and the steering wheel can cause serious injuries, making this feature one that you should look for in your next vehicle.
5. 5

   Back Up Sensing System

   This is a wonderful little invention that makes it so that when you are backing up, you will be warned if you get too close to another vehicle or other object. This is now an option on a number of larger vehicles, such as RV?s and SUV?s, and it has greatly reduced the number of collisions caused by backing up, and a lot of bicycles in driveways have been saved because of this feature.
6. 6

   Electrochromatic Mirror/Auto Dimming Mirrors

   One thing that can really be annoying when you are driving at night is the reflection of headlights in your mirrors. This feature will automatically darken the mirrors, which in turn reduces the glare. Today, approximately 10% of all vehicles are equipped with this feature, and many more vehicles are expected to have this technology in the near future. This not only helps to prevent accidents, it also helps people who are extremely light sensitive, and bothered by lights in their mirrors.
7. 7

   Head Restraints

   Two of the most common injuries that occur due to automobile accidents are head injuries and whiplash. These head restraints, which are on the top of the front seats, will help to hold the head in place, and they reduce these types of injuries. New and more advanced systems make it so the seat will move down and back in the event of a collision, so there will not be as much forward motion, which of course will lessen the risk of head and neck injuries.
8. 8

   Heads Up Display

   One should never take their eyes off the road while they are driving, but we all do. We must look down to check our speed and other things, and it can only take a split second for an accident to occur. A heads up display (HUD) will put the information you need right across your windshield, so your eyes never have to look anywhere but at the road. You will still be able to watch what you are doing, while being able to find the information you need quickly and easily.
9. 9

   Padded Knee Bolster

   Knee injuries are a common result of automobile accidents, and this device can greatly reduce the risk of this type of injury. This is another feature that can keep the driver or passengers in the proper position to lessen their chances of being injured. It will also help to keep passengers from sliding beneath the instrument panel and risking becoming trapped or injured even further.
10. 10

    Seatbelts

    These may have been around for many years, but many advancements have been made so that they will protect automobile occupants even more than the older versions. Unlike in the past, where seatbelts just went around your waist, today?s vehicles are equipped with front and rear seatbelts for both the lap and shoulders, and the locking system insures that those wearing the seatbelts (which is the law in Canada and the US) will not be thrown forward if an accident occurs.

There are many other new safety devices that are helping to keep people safe while they are on the roads.

If you are purchasing a new vehicle, make sure that it has as many of these safety devices as possible, to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. It may cost a little bit extra, but it is definitely worth it if these things are going to save lives.