Whether you’re planning to purchase a new or used car, it is vital that you take the time to ensure that your new car is safe with all the modern car safety features. This will help to protect you, your passengers and other road users should you be unfortunate enough to get caught up in a road traffic accident.
Don’t know what you should be looking for? Start with these car safety essentials:
Seatbelts
If your car crashes, you are going to want to be wearing a seatbelt, and you’re going to want that seatbelt to be in good working condition. Seatbelts are made to keep you safely inside your vehicle and when working correctly will significantly cut the risk of you connecting with the dashboard or steering wheel or flying through your car’s windshield!
Ideally, you should look for a car that has adjustable seatbelts, which you can change around to fit any size. You will also want to check that the seatbelt clicks into place firmly and actually does its job of keeping you in place without any issues.
Airbags
If you don’t want to have to call your local car accident lawyer because you’ve been seriously injured, anytime soon, airbags are essential. They will prevent you from hitting your head and sustaining what could be a very serious head injury in the event of a car crash, in most cases, although in very rare circumstances, like when you aren’t wearing a seatbelt, they could be detrimental. You also shouldn’t use an airbag anywhere a child under the age of 12 will be impacted by it.
Just because airbags protect you from many of the same things as seatbelts, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t belt up – doing as many things as you can to ensure your safety is just smart!
Head Injury Protection
Many cars are fitted out with foam, which is located under the vehicle’s interior trim. This can be very useful for absorbing the impact of a vehicle collision if you’re hit from the side. Combined with head air bags, they will offer you a greater level of protection than seatbelts and airbags alone.
Antilock Brake Systems
Antilock brake systems will stop a car’s wheels from locking in sudden braking situation, which means that, should you have to brake in a panic situation, you’ll still be able to maintain a good level of control over your car, depending on the speed of your vehicle.
Electronic Stability Control
ESC was created to help drivers keep control of their cars when carrying out extreme maneuvers, which is something that you may have to do in an accident situation. The ESC is able to sense when a car is beginning to over or under steer, and when this happens, it will kick into action, applying the brake to just one wheel, which is often enough to help avoid a crash and keep you as safe as possible.
Car Safety Features Conclusion
Looking for a car which has as many of the above as possible, along with choosing a vehicle which has some weight to it, could be enough to keep you safe in many of the scary situations you could face on the road.