Safety Features Every Car Should Have
We’ve come a long way from the 60’s when airbags were mostly an afterthought and seat belts were just there… maybe. We’ve even come a long way since the last decade when car safety was improving, but not anywhere near what it is today.
I’m all for safety. It’s a terrible, tragic thing when lives are lost on the road because of any number of reasons. I do also think that some of the safety equipment available on cars today has been taken a step too far. Say what you will about “never being able to do enough”, but I think that a back seat sensor which tells you that your child is still in the back of the vehicle is a bit much. If I put my child – who is small enough to legally have to be placed in a car seat – in the back of my car, and I don’t have the awareness to remember that he or she isn’t in my arms or by my side as I walk in the store, I don’t believe that I should be given the responsibility of driving a car 70 miles per hour down the highway.
I digress… and having just gone on that little rant, I’m not an unfeeling monster who thinks that being safe is something that shouldn’t be taken seriously. I believe that there are several wonderful safety features that are available today, and may be made available soon, that should be standard on every single car, just as airbags and seat belts are. Here are just 5 that really should be on every single vehicle:
HID or LED headlights
Everybody has been blinded by those bright bluish lights coming toward them late at night. Those are HID or LED headlights depending on the car. LEDs are becoming more and more available as daytime running lights, and beyond the fact that they are brighter than regular halogen lights, they look pretty cool. Ever since I saw them years ago on luxury cars, I’ve wanted a car with HID headlights, and now, I finally have one! My Hyundai Genesis Coupe has them, and all I can say is that it makes a world of difference. They may be a pain to look at when it’s dark, but they also help you see what’s in front of you.
Lights on when car is on
Several states have a law about turning your lights on when the wipers of the car are on. It’s a great law and a good rule of thumb besides. Most cars have some form of daytime running lights as well. That’s also great. How come they haven’t made lights that run as long as the engine is on? Even with the wiper law and available DRLs, there are a vast number of people that just don’t turn on their lights. Even in broad daylight, headlights have been proven to help with overall visibility. The easiest way to do that? Get rid of the headlight switch, or program the car to have the lights on whenever the car is in drive.
Blind Spot Monitoring
I’m not usually big on the myriad of sensors available on cars now. I think they are fragile, costly, and I believe they make us lazy. If there’s any malfunction or damage to the sensors, I think they prove just as dangerous as not having any in the first place. I also believe that Blind Spot Monitoring is the most useful and practical safety feature that can actively prevent the driver from doing something dangerous. You can see it working for yourself. Just look at one of the side mirrors of the car that’s passing you on the highway, and you’ll be glad they have it on their car. It’s becoming more and more common, and it should be standard.
Drunk Driver Sensor
I read an article last week that there was a company developing a technology that measures alcohol levels through touch and through a breath sensor mounted in the car. The company is called Sober Steering, and their idea is brilliant. As time goes on, this will definitely become a thing, especially as they promise that it will be readily available at a low cost. Essentially, if the sensor inside the car detects too much alcohol in the driver’s system, the car will be immobilized. I’m just surprised that this hasn’t come out sooner.
Phone Lock System
Just about every newer car is equipped with some form of Bluetooth hands free calling system. Phones have the “driving mode” as well on their end. Why can’t that technology be leveraged farther? If there’s a phone detected by the car’s Bluetooth, there should be a place in the car where the phone needs to be placed in order to put the car in gear. We also have systems that could detect if there’s only a driver versus a driver and a passenger. This would allow the passenger to potentially operate the phone in place of the driver. Some navigation and touch screen systems already use a similar feature where the occupants of the car can’t use or input anything while the car is in drive. A system that would allow all hands free, but also prevent the driver from picking up a phone at all would even more beneficial.
I have no doubt that all of these things will eventually be standard in every car in the road. As technology evolves, there will be more than what’s already available. Always remember this though: It doesn’t matter how much technology is in your car. Good judgement, common sense, and being alert while driving may not just save your life but also the lives of a few other people.
–SWF
