The initial focus of auto safety technology revolved around reducing the instances of severe injuries and fatalities in car accidents. A seat belt doesn’t mean that you won’t get hurt, but it means that you have a better chance of staying alive. The same goes for an airbag.
But this focus has changed in recent years. Technology has shifted so that it is more designed to prevent an accident from occurring in the first place. Experts refer to these systems as an extra set of eyes. The car itself is helping you drive safely and watch out for common hazards.
Lane departure warning
A great example of this is the invention of lane departure warning systems. These can track the lines on the road and let you know if your car has drifted over one of those lines. There’s usually a beeping sound and a flashing light.
This could help in all sorts of situations. For instance, maybe a driver is distracted as they talk to a child and they start to drift into the oncoming lanes. When the light flashes and the car beeps, it pulls their attention back to the road and they can correct their course. Twenty years ago, they may simply have drifted into traffic and been hit, hoping that seatbelts and airbags would keep them safe. But now they can avoid that accident entirely because the car is elevating their driving ability with its use of tech.
Serious accidents are still too common
This shows a good direction for technology and the focus on reducing accidents is certainly a positive one, but the statistics show that they still happen very often. Make sure you are well aware of your legal rights if another driver injured you.
