Car safety and reducing the death toll remains one the biggest considerations for car manufacturers and governments all over the world. Whether it be by improving the road laws that we have in place, or ensuring that our cars are better equipped to protect us in the case of an accident. We are seeing the effects of this, as the road as a proportion of motorists is steadily declining. Technological advances on the part of car manufacturers like Mitsubishi and others are making our cars even safer. Self-driving cars are still a few years off, but let’s take a look at a few features that could be found in new cars in the more immediate future.
Lane Departure Warnings
Many of the newest safety features that we’re starting to see on cars represent our movement towards the eventual completely self-driving car. One such example is lane departure warning technology, which utilises cameras and laser to tell us when we’re starting to veer out of our lane. Motorists falling asleep at the wheel remains a cause of many accidents every year, but this technology seeks to reduce this number significantly by warning drivers with vibrations of the seat and/or steering wheel and a loud beeping sound. A windshield camera actually read the position of the lines in the middle or the road to determine when you may be going off track. Watch the video below to see how this safety feature works.
Rotating Headlights
This feature enables headlights to pivot according to the direction of the steering wheel, meaning when driving at night, the motorist has greater visibility, particularly when making turns. While there would only seem to be a subtle safety advantage for motorists using this feature, research has shown that this technology can reduce the risk of the accident at night by up to 10%. Combined with automatic high beams, which turn themselves on when it is particularly dark and off when another car approaches, this feature can be very handy. Watch the video below to see how this safety feature works.
Automatic Breaking
A beta version of this feature is becoming widely available in new cars already and can reduce the chance of an accident on the road by up to 7%, according to some studies. Using similar technology to that involved in lane departure warning, lasers and cameras fitted on the car can either warn the driver when there is an obstacle approaching or apply the brakes automatically on their behalf. This is a very effective way of preventing front on collisions which remain one of the most fatal kinds of accidents on our roads. Watch the video below to see how this safety feature works.
It’s highly likely that these technologies will become standard in new cars over the next few years, and if reports are to be believed, we can expect a much lower proportion of accidents. Mitsubishi is doing its part to ensure that the latest safety features are available. For more information, get in touch with the team at Chadstone Mitsubishi today.