For many years, the goal for safety features in automobiles was just to reduce injuries — or, in the same vein, to keep people alive in what would have been fatal accidents. The crashes themselves were going to happen. The goal was to make those crashes less deadly. This era saw the invention of things like the seat belt and the airbag.
Over the years, though, things have shifted notably. Now the goal isn’t just to keep people safe when they crash, but to help prevent these crashes from happening in the first place.
How does new technology address this?
Not all new tech has this goal, but a lot of it does. Examples include:
- Anti-lock brakes to help people stop more effectively in an emergency
- Traction control systems to keep drivers in control of the vehicle at all times
- Backup cameras to make sure drivers can see what is behind them
- Lane-departure warning systems to keep distracted drivers from driving over the centerline or off of the shoulder
- Blindspot monitoring systems to ensure that drivers know other cars are nearby, even if they don’t see them
The next wave of cars even has more advanced options. Some cars have automatic braking systems, for instance, that can apply the brakes before a driver even knows anything is wrong. The possibility of self-driving cars remains out in the future, taking human error out of the equation.
All of these features do work well together, but nothing guarantees you will not be injured by another driver. You need to know what options you have if you do get hurt to get the compensation you are due.
