Essential Driver Safety Features To Look For In A New Car

When the time comes for you to purchase a new vehicle as a first-time driver, there are a lot of factors you need to consider. Still, none of those factors are more important than your safety. Thankfully, technological advances are always making cars safer, with many models on the market offering a wide array of features intended to keep you as safe as possible while driving. To help you pick the safest car, here are some essential driver safety features you should look for in a new car.

Airbags

Airbags are a safety feature that functions by cushioning drivers in the event of a collision. Airbags are hugely important as they will prevent you from sustaining a potentially life-threatening brain injury from hitting your head on the steering wheel, windshield, or dashboard.

For the airbag to work as intended, drivers should always wear a seatbelt and position the seat at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel. This ensures that the airbag has sufficient space to deploy and cushion your head without the risk of the casing impacting your face.

Traction Control

Traction control systems prevent your car’s wheels from losing their grip on the road, should you drive in rainy or icy conditions. Because they reduce the static friction of the road surface, and therefore your cars’ ability to find traction, snow and rain significantly increase the chances of you suffering an automobile accident.

To remedy this, car manufacturers have included traction control systems that adjust the amount of power your engine is transmitting to your car’s wheels. This causes the wheels to turn more slowly, lessening their chances of losing traction and slipping.

Antilock brakes (ABS)

Antilock brakes work by preventing your wheels from locking up during hard braking. If your brakes cause your wheels to lock on a slippery surface, the sliding front tires make it almost impossible to steer. ABS prevents this by using sensors on each wheel connected to a computer that automatically varies the braking action on each wheel to prevent them from locking up. This, in turn, allows the driver to maintain steering control while braking hard, preventing you from simply sliding into obstacles.

Head Restraints

While the concept of head restraints in a car might sound unusual, whiplash and other head trauma are some of the most common injuries among car accident victims and often result in high levels of pain and discomfort. To prevent the driver and passengers from sustaining neck and head injuries, some models of car offer differently shaped seatbelts and repositionable, cushioned head supports that work to prevent your head from snapping backward and forwards in the event of an accident.