Concerning advances in car safety, it used to be high tech when we learned to install the child car safety seats, turn on the traction control and get on our merry way. The rest of the time we relied on driving skill or fate.
Today, we are seeing a new level of evolution in car safety systems as science fiction starts to represent reality. With the roll out of the new Volvo XC90, the auto industry has a new baseline to shoot for in terms of car safety devices. As car performance statistics go up, so do the options for car safety devices.
The latest version of Volvos crossover vehicle gives us a whole host of safety options, some that are available for the first time. Several of the following four features are based on autonomous steering and braking to avoid accidents and to make driving more comfortable.
1.There is pedestrian detection, even in darkness. How often have you narrowly missed pedestrians during twilight when they blend into the background? Hopefully this will never be an issue with the new systems for detection and automatic braking.
2. For the road warrior, you will benefit from road edge and barrier detection. You know how the car tends to meander on those long distance highway trips. The rumble strips on the shoulder are a rude awakening compared to automatic detection and steering assistance.
3. Adaptive cruise control gives you just the right separation from the car in front. With some automatic variability built in to the cruise control, you will no longer have to keep adjusting the settings if traffic slows all around you.
4. The collision mitigation system helps your vehicle to automatically brake for animals in daylight or nighttime conditions. It senses potential collisions and safely brakes to avoid a crash.
The car company praised by parents for child car safety, and best known for crash ratings has rolled out another generation of safety features that are so far beyond the seat belts and airbags of most cars. Automated steering and braking systems give us a whole new level of freedom out on the road that it deserves a look.
