New cars are safer than ever by becoming more aware

Is Your Car Smart Enough to Keep You Safe

Harry Lloyd

Cars that might save you

It's a crazy and unpredictable world out there, especially on the road. Car safety is not just a selling point to flaunt on commercials; it is of the utmost importance.

Today, new cars have more technology focused on your safety than ever before. Crash test agencies and federal testing is also getting more strict every year, to make sure that we are covering all possible threats as best we can.

Some of these features and technology sound like they are out of science fiction, and they are not just limited to the ultra luxury vehicles. Many of these new technological advancements are cheap enough to include on affordable safe new cars.

Preemptive safety measures

One of the best ways to make our roads safer for everyone is to avoid crashes altogether. There is always a chance for things to go wrong on the road and the driver to not notice them, but what if your car was able to keep an eye out for you as well? Many cars, like the new Ford Fusion, can do just that.

Adaptive cruise control uses sensors to determine the distance between you and the car in front of you and adjusts your speed accordingly. In cars like the 2013 Lexus LS460, Toyota took this concept even further and developed a system that would detect imminent collisions under 29 mph and will stop the car before it happens. Toyota has also made their hybrids safer with noise generators to alert pedestrians that a hybrid is driving nearby.

Many cars also have lane departure warning systems, which can detect when your car is drifting and will alert you, sometimes by a vibrating steering wheel or other alarm. With texting and driving being such a prevalent problem today, systems like these could save a lot of lives when someone drifts out of their lane because they couldn't wait to text.

Google is even developing self driving cars, which would use an array of sensors to monitor nearly every factor on the road and in your car. Not everyone can afford a Google self driving car however, but there are many options for safe used cars as well.

Our cars continue to get smarter and safer every year, and the road may very well be a very different looking place in a few decades. When you are checking out new cars to buy, make sure you give its safety features a look.