Active Car Safety Features
Active Car Safety features are the technological kit that allows the car to act on your behalf to prevent a collision and to help you reduce the impact of a crash. These have evolved a lot in the past few years and most modern cars have them as standard or optional.
Active Safety systems constantly monitor the performance and surroundings of the vehicle and involve things like Anti-lock braking (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) or Lane Departure Warning (LDW).
These security systems are also called ‘primary’ safety features because they avoid or mitigate an accident before the impact. Things like ABS and ESC were some of the first to be introduced and today up to 80-90% of the cars on the roads in Europe come equipped with them.
Read on to find out how these car safety features are worth having.
1. Anti-lock brakes (ABS)
Anti-lock brakes improve safety by preventing cars from skidding when you brake heavily. This reduces dramatically the stopping distance and also helps you stay in control of your car. ABS detects if one or more of the wheels is about to stop turning completely as you brake and then releases and reapplies the brakes repeatedly to prevent a skid.
Anti-lock brakes are one of the first active safety systems in cars and have been compulsory on all vehicles sold in the European Union since 2004.
2. Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Popularly known as ESC, Electronic stability control helps to prevent a vehicle from skidding and the driver from losing control while turning a corner. This technology can activate automatically the brakes to individual wheels to help you steer the car in the right direction.
Electronic stability control is a legal requirement for mainstream cars since 2014, which means that all vehicles from that year or newer have it. Bear in mind that ESC also goes by Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and that many car brands have their own names for it. For example, BMW calls it Dynamic Stability Control and Toyota has named it Vehicle Stability Control. In any case, it’s a safety feature that reduces the chance of your car skidding, you losing control of it and a crash happening.
3. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) is part of the second wave of innovation in car safety features. Basically, AEB systems start braking automatically if a crash is imminent and the driver is not taking any action – or is not fast enough. AEB can detect a potential collision and activate the brakes to avoid it altogether or at least mitigate the impact.
AEB is so effective that it has been hailed by experts as the most important safety advance in car security since the seat belt. It’s usually available as an option, although it’s being increasingly fitted as standard.
4. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic brake-force distribution is a development of ABS. It’s different in the sense that it automatically distributes brake force between the wheels, minimising stopping distances while bringing the car to a halt.
5. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Adaptive cruise control is an evolution of conventional cruise control that uses radar to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you. This means that if that vehicle slows down, then the system will automatically reduce your car’s speed to match it and avoid a collision. If the car in front leaves the lane or moves out of the way, then adaptive cruise control will accelerate back up to the pre-set cruising speed.
It’s usually available as an option but you may want to consider it.
6. Lane-keeping technology
There are two main types of lane-keeping technology. The first and oldest one is lane departure warning (LDW) and it’s the system that warns the driver if she or he leaves a marked lane on the road without using the indicator or if the vehicle is drifting out of its travel lane. They do this through an audio or visual warning or a gentle vibration on the steering wheel.
The second is lane-keeping assistance (LKA). It works when the car detects a lane departure is going to happen suddenly and without indicating, so the systems apply torque to the steering wheel or pressure to the brakes. Sometimes it’s also called Lane Keep Assist and it’s a step further from Lane Departure Warning because it steers you gently back into the correct lane.
On some high-end car models active lane-keeping is packed together with adaptive cruise control. Both can be helpful on long motorway journeys, so worth considering if you spend a lot of time on them.
7. Visibility aids
Good all-around visibility is very important when driving a car. However, some modern cars have sacrificed some visibility for higher security in the shape of oversized pillars that obscure part of the view when manoeuvring. The good thing is that these models will come equipped with cameras and/or proximity sensors that will alert you to obstacles and help you fit into the tightest of parking spots.
These include rear cross-traffic assist – available from manufacturers like Fiat or Volkswagen -, that uses sensors to monitor the road on both sides of your car and gives a visual and audible warning if something is coming.
Another very useful car safety feature is reverse park assist technology, which will help you with parallel parking. Just hit a button, gently squeeze the throttle and the car will steer itself into position. You can wave goodbye to parking collisions.
8. Speed-limiting devices
Like their name indicates speed-limiting devices prevent the car from being driven above a pre-set speed. Many cars that have cruise control also have speed-limiting.
What happens is that they will gently reduce the power of your engine once you’re reached the top speed you’ve selected as your limit. Keep in mind that most speed-limiting devices will deactivate if you floor the accelerator because you need to overtake or drive faster for some reason.
9. Smart seatbelt reminder
After many decades of buckling up not using seatbelts is still a major factor in traffic injuries. That’s why it doesn’t hurt to have a little reminder for everybody to fasten their seatbelt. Some systems will sense which seats are occupied and notify the driver who hasn’t buckled up. Better safe than sorry.
10. Attention monitoring systems
Attention monitoring systems assess the driver’s alertness and warn the driver to take a break when needed. They look for signs that may indicate tiredness or sleepiness – even monitor how long you’ve been driving or analysing how the steering wheel is being operated – and sound an alarm or vibrate the seat or give you visual warnings so that you stop and rest.
11. Blindspot warning systems
They may not be the flashiest of car safety features but blind spot warnings that alert you about unseen adjacent vehicles are very handy and worth taking into account. Just a light in the door mirror coupled with an audible alert can reduce the likelihood of an accident when changing lanes.
12. Adaptative headlights
Lights are a given in any car. Without them, you can’t drive at night or under poor visibility conditions. But there’s more to headlights than just the basic ability to see in the dark or through fog.
Basic active headlight systems have additional lights onto the left or the right that light up bends as you go. More sophisticated ones have active beam control that links the direction of the headlamp beam directly to the steering.
And the most advanced headlight systems are even capable of detecting cars ahead and adjusting the beam automatically so that you can see without dazzling oncoming traffic.
13. Tyre-pressure monitoring systems
It may not seem like much but having over- or under-inflated tyres can impact handling a car and lead to an accident. That is why most cars have tyre-pressure monitoring systems that help you maintain them at the correct setting by warning you when the pressure is incorrect.
14. Autonomous driving
Autonomous driving features safety systems such as auto-brake, collision warning, pedestrian or park assist. It’s not by itself a car safety feature, more like a group of them bundled together to make your car safer by transferring power from the driver to vehicle AI.
