Essential Car Safety Devices

When it comes to staying safe on the roads, the best things you can do are to try to be a good driver, always keep an eye on your fellow motorists, and ensure your car has all the best safety measures — because you can?t control other people?s driving. The following is a look at a few car safety devices every car needs to have, so if you don?t have all of these in your vehicle, next time you get an auto service, talk to your mechanic about having some upgrades done.

Air bags

An air bag is one of the most important safety devices you could have in your car, especially if you become involved in a head-on collision. Air bags deploy in a fraction of a second during a heavy impact, and can help prevent you from hitting your head, from being ejected from the vehicle, or from coming into hard contact with side doors or windows. The most common form of air bags are the frontal variety, but rear and side air bags have become increasingly popular, with side air bags proving extremely effective in the case of a rollover.

Seat belts

If you do nothing else for your safety inside your car, at least make sure you are wearing your seatbelt, because without it even a minor collision can cause serious injuries. Lap/shoulder seatbelt systems work best, and you should wear your seatbelt every single time you get in the car, even if you are only travelling a very short distance. Studies have also shown that if the person sitting behind you in a vehicle isn?t wearing their seatbelt they are five times more likely to die in a car crash, so make sure everyone in your car is always buckled up.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS)

These are among the most effective safety devices that every car should have, because by preventing your wheels from locking up during emergency braking, you are a far better chance of being able to steer around trouble. This steering control gives you a chance of being able to still avoid an obstacle when it is too late to stop, and even under full brakes, with ABS you won?t lose control of your steering.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

This amazing safety system should be in every vehicle — especially if you are driving your family around, as it greatly reduces the chances you will lose control of your vehicle. By utilising a number of sensors and monitoring everything from rotation to individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect when your car begins to understeer, oversteer or roll over, and will automatically make the adjustments necessary to regain stability. It does this by applying the brakes on individual wheels, reducing acceleration or doing whatever else can be done to rectify the problem, all within the fraction of a second.

Lane departure warning

This safety feature could save a lot of lives if it was installed in every vehicle, because it will alert you the second you start to drift into another lane, or off the road without intent, i.e. without signalling. The warning can be anything from a visual or audible alarm to a shaking of the steering wheel, and some advanced models of these systems will even nudge you back into your lane automatically.