Cars and other automobiles have had safety technologies for decades – seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, etc. But a number of recent automotive innovations are working to prevent crashes from happening in the first place. They’re collectively known as advanced driver assistance systems or crash avoidance systems. With most new cars offering advanced safety features, it’s easy for drivers to start taking them for granted. But it’s crucial not to become complacent about these life-saving technologies.
Crashes can still occur, and if you’re involved in one, an injury attorney can make a huge difference in getting you the entitled compensation. At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we are committed to providing our clients with effective legal representation tailored to meet their individual needs.
We will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of your accident to build a strong case on your behalf that can maximize your recovery. Call us today at (470) 323-8779 or complete the online form via our website to request a free case review with one of our injury and accident attorneys.
Types of Crash Avoidance Systems
Crash-avoidance systems are designed to reduce crashes and help drivers avoid accidents by warning them of impending collisions. These systems fall into a few categories:
- Crash warning systems alert drivers to imminent risks. For example, if you’re about to rear-end someone, they can alert you with an audible sound and a visual indicator like a flashing light or an image of a car with squiggly lines in front of it.
- Blind-spot monitoring alerts drivers when there’s something in their blind spot, usually with a light in the side mirror or the A-pillar that illuminates when something is there. The more advanced systems will use radar to detect vehicles outside your line of sight and alert you if they’re moving into your lane.
- Lane departure warning alerts can buzz when you drift out of your lane without using your turn signal. These can be especially helpful for drowsy drivers and those unfamiliar with an area’s roadways. Some offer limited steering capability to gently nudge you back into your lane if you drift out of it.
- Automatic Braking System: This technology uses a system of radars and sensors to detect when your vehicle is approaching an object. From there, you are given the warning to fix your mistake, and then, if you don’t comply, the brakes are applied automatically to minimize the severity of the collision. Though vehicles are not mandatory to feature this system under any law or regulation, many manufacturers have voluntarily integrated AEB into their new models.
- Automatic high beams are headlights that adjust up and down depending on ambient lighting, automatically turning on high beams when there are no other vehicles around and dimming them when another car approaches or drives ahead of you. They’re typically part of luxury packages but are increasingly offered stand-alone options even on non-luxury models.
- Forward collision warning alerts let you know when traffic ahead has slowed down rapidly, such as at a red light or due to a crash, so that you can avoid hitting the car in front of you. These systems may also include automatic braking, which helps prevent or mitigate some frontal collisions.
- Adaptive Headlights: Most cars feature static headlights that stay pointed in one direction no matter where the vehicle is headed. Adaptive headlights change their focus based on steering wheel input and vehicle speed. This allows drivers to see around corners at night and increases visibility during inclement weather. The system uses sensors to measure wheel angle, steering wheel position, and vehicle speed and adjusts the headlights accordingly.
- Parking assist systems help drivers maneuver into and out of parking spaces more efficiently and safely by identifying available spaces and automatically steering the car into them. Some systems even control acceleration, shifting, braking, and gear selection for both parallel and reverse perpendicular parking maneuvers.
Notions of Vehicle Safety
Today, crash avoidance systems are revolutionizing the world of automotive safety. This is because they do not just protect the occupant in case of a crash but have the potential to prevent crashes altogether. They can operate independently and help drivers avoid accidents by providing advanced warnings about an impending collision. Some systems like adaptive headlights can even detect and help prevent rear-end collisions.
In the wake of recent innovations, the automotive industry has shifted its focus to account for the strides in reducing traffic collisions even further. Among these innovations include new front-end collision prevention systems that enable vehicles to slow down and stop in time to avoid major accidents. The prerequisite for developing such safety systems was that those vehicle collisions were inevitable, but this hasn’t been the case.
Should You Get A Car With Advanced Vehicles To Avoid Accidents?
Whether or not you need advanced safety systems on your next vehicle is essentially a matter of opinion. If you’re buying a new car, you’ll most likely find that at least some of them come standard, but you’ll probably have to pay extra for the higher trim levels. Although these systems are often marketed as making cars safer and preventing crashes, most of them are designed to reduce the severity of accidents that would otherwise happen with or without them.
While this is a worthy goal in its own right, you should be wary of buying into claims that it’s possible to prevent all accidents using technology. Even the best driver assistance systems don’t make cars safe enough to use without paying attention.
Speak with Dedicated Atlanta Personal Injury Attorneys at the CEO Lawyer
The latest generation of vehicles is chock full of innovative technologies that have the potential to improve driver safety. While these safety features effectively reduce the risk of an auto accident, they do not eliminate them completely. If you have been injured because another driver failed to exercise reasonable care behind the wheel, you could be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and other damages under Georgia law.
At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we offer free consultations to all potential clients to learn more about their legal options with no financial risk. Through settlement negotiations or a trial, we will fight for what you are rightfully owed so that you can focus on making a complete physical and emotional recovery from your injuries with financial stability and peace of mind. To schedule your meeting with an accomplished Atlanta car accident lawyer, call us at (470) 323-8779 or contact us online today.
