Vehicle Safety Technology to Keep an Eye on in 2021
Vehicle safety has always been very important, but it is evolving now faster than ever before. There are automatic brakes, lane assist, external vehicle cameras, and more. Here are a few pieces of vehicle safety technology you should keep an eye out for in 2021.
External Airbags
One new innovation that people should be looking for in 2021 is external airbags. Several companies are currently testing external side airbags that are deployed right before a collision. These external side airbags will provide a lateral crumple zone which can make the car much safer for the passengers and decrease the severity of the injuries of the people in the car by up to 40%. As many people know, airbags generally save lives. An airbag will inflate and deploy within approximately 40 milliseconds of a collision, which can be very beneficial to the people inside the car, particularly the driver. The system is very responsive to collisions and sudden impacts, which it needs to be because these impacts can be very forceful in addition to quick.
Animal and Pedestrian Detection
Accidents are a big concern when people are in cars. In fact, it is an even bigger concern for people on motorcycles. Fatal crash data from 2016 reveals that there were 28 times more deaths on motorcycles than in other types of vehicles. Sometimes, these are a result of collisions with other vehicles or with utility poles and other fixtures. Sometimes, people can even crash into buildings. However, in some cases, people run into pedestrians or animals, which can cause damage to both the vehicle and the people who are involved in the crash. For example, there are about 1.5 million vehicle accidents in the United States annually that are caused by deer alone. There are new types of technology that can be used, which involve infrared cameras that can detect both pedestrians and animals. In some cases, the car will be able to automatically break in these situations. It will scan the area and detect the body heat of living beings that might be in the street. This can help it locate moving organisms, such as pedestrians and animals.
Road Control and Awareness
In 2019, there were more than 310 million repair orders written by dealerships. The amount of money that people spend on parts and service were in total more than $116 billion. One feature that can really help with this is road awareness and control. Many people can cause damage to their cars at unexpected twists and turns on roads. A lot of the time, it happens when it is very dark outside, and a person is not very familiar with the area. Sometimes, it can be very hard to see the next turn coming, and a person can end up swerving off of the road or bumping into something in a way that is going to cause serious damage to the car. There are companies creating cars now that contain new features that can address this issue. For example, there are GPS systems that can be used to detect sharp turns ahead in the road, so that the driver is warned before having to encounter these turns.
Vehicle safety is evolving every day, and definitely for the better. Make sure you keep an eye out for these safety features and more.