The invention of the car was definitely a turning point in human history. Over the years, car manufacturers have looked at how to improve car safety. This has led to innovation after innovation in car safety features, which means cars are becoming smarter and safer because of improved technology. Modern cars may be getting safer and safer every year, but they’re never perfect and still pose risks. If you’re in the market for a new car, you’ll find a range of safety features that can help prevent accidents or protect you if you happen to get into one.
Modern car manufacturers have a list of mandatory safety features they’re required to have in each and every car they produce in order for them to be allowed to sell the cars to the public. These safety features are often split between primary and secondary safety features. The primary safety features of a car help you to avoid an accident. The secondary features protect you from getting hurt in case of an accident. However, despite the advancement in these features, we should all still remain vigilant and do whatever we can to prevent and avoid accidents whilst using the road. Whether it be driving a car, riding a bicycle, riding a motorbike or even crossing the street, we all have a responsibility to safety on our roads.
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This article is over two years old, last updated on October 6, 2022. While RateCity makes best efforts to update every important article regularly, the information in this piece may not be as relevant as it once was. Alternatively, please consider checking recent car insurance articles.
Every car on the road is required to have a seat belt to help protect you or your loved ones from getting hurt after a collision. Seatbelts are a very effective car safety feature and are compulsory by law. Not only does your vehicle need to have seatbelts, but every person inside the car must also be wearing one.
Every car needs to have a crumple zone, which creates a buffer zone that prevents the violent motion of a collision from affecting any passenger in a car directly. Instead of the passengers feeling the collision, the crumple zone allows the sides of the vehicle to absorb the energy caused by the crash.
Airbags generally work together with the seatbelt as a car safety feature. After a collision, an airbag will deploy to protect you from hurting yourself badly. You’ll find the more the force, the better the protection from the airbags because they function on impulse. Although when first developed, cars only had airbags in the front for the driver and passenger, many modern cars now also have airbags to help protect rear passengers.
This feature prevents forward collision while driving. The sensors alert you about a possible collision or crash hazard after scanning the road, giving you time to make crash-avoidant decisions. But if you fail to make any changes to speed or trajectory, the automatic emergency brake slows your vehicle in order to hopefully prevent the collision.
Dashboard cameras have multiple car safety benefits. Many contain an in-built acceleration meter or monitor to help you control your speed. The device will notify you if you’re going above the posted speed limit so you can slow down and drive at the safer and legal speed limit. They may also include features that can help you prevent collisions when parking or driving your car by alerting you to objects.
The other major safety feature of dashboard cameras or dashcams is that you can record live events. This means you can have recorded evidence if you are involved in an accident to help determine who’s at fault, and this can also help if your car or belongings are stolen.
This advanced car safety feature helps you as the driver recognise and follow all traffic signs. The front camera locates and reads any posted traffic signs. It will then display the sign to the driver on a dashboard-mounted screen. Road sign recognition ensures that you don’t miss any road signs, including stop signs, road changes and the speed limit. They also often include a lane departure which alerts you if you’re crossing over the lines on the road in a way that may be dangerous.
Most active and passive car safety features can help prevent an accident or protect you if an accident does occur. Unfortunately, insurers don’t have enough conclusive proof that these car safety features will prevent accidents for them to significantly affect insurance premiums. Some insurers will consider a vehicle's ANCAP safety rating along with a wide range of other factors when calculating your car insurance premiums.
For example, insurers factor in the car's age when calculating insurance. So a newer car with more safety features may attract a lower premium than an older car that’s more likely to break down or have issues. However, brand new cars with the highest safety features may attract higher premiums due to their value. If you want to try and balance car safety features with insurance premium cost, you may want to look for a car that’s only a few years old. It will have a lot of modern safety features, but its value would have dropped, allowing for a more affordable premium than the current model of the same car.
Purchasing a car with all or some of the features on this car safety feature list may help you avoid accidents they can’t guarantee. This is why car insurance is an essential part of owning a car. Insurers may not automatically offer you a discount because you have these features, but if you compare car insurance quotes online, you’ll be able to find a policy that is affordable and suits your needs.
This article was reviewed by Mark Bristow before it was published as part of RateCity's Fact Check process.
