12 Important Safety Features In Our Cars We Didn’t Think About
AutoWell, okay, this is a different topic, and probably not the most obvious one to some. But I guarantee some of us will be a little more informed, people might even feel safer when they drive to work tomorrow. Whether you’re a consumer or a car sales consultant, this article will list a dozen important safety features found in every car on the road. The consumer can benefit from knowing what’s in today’s cars, should he come across a salesperson who isn’t the most educated in his product knowledge. And finally, sales consultants can enhance their presentations with these tasty morsels and increase potential commissions. So, without fail, these are the top safety features found on the exterior of those cars.
#1: Crumple Zones – A mainstay in today’s automobiles, this is the harmonic flow of numerous energy-absorbing body panels and supports normally associated with a crash. Parts like the hood, bumper and fenders are designed to deform like an accordion, so they take the brunt of any accidental situation.
#2-Wraparound Headlights: Just as the name implies, it is a one-piece headlight design that integrates the low beam, high beam, and turn signals. The headlights wrap from the front or rear of the car to the sides. Halogen headlights are not only brighter and wider with the use of reflective cutouts in the camera, but people driving along our blind spots can easily tell our intentions to change lanes. As a result, causing fewer accidents.
#3-Separable Engine Mounts: These mounts hold the engine to the frame of the car. They are not noticeable, but the life-saving impact is enormous. In a frontal impact collision, they are specifically designed to separate the engine from the frame, and with forward movement will cause the engine to slide under the car at a 45 degree angle. Making it less likely that you’ll have an engine sitting on your lap when the crash comes to a stop.
#4 – Steel Belted Radials – It’s pretty obvious, our tires are very important safety features, it’s what keeps the car on the road. Tires are built with embedded steel fibers, how do they help? Well, motorists will have peace of mind knowing that their tires will hold up even in the most extreme conditions. Those belts will also give these tires a longer lasting life. Less maintenance in the long run.
#5 – ventilated disc brakes – As important as the tires are, disc brakes stop the car. Brakes are built with a rotor, pads, and calipers for short. The rotors are designed with internal vanes to help vent heat. And this will help defend against fade and make frequent brake repairs less likely.
#6-Side Impact Door Beams-Like the crumple zones, this helps absorb energy in a side impact collision. They are steel intrusion beams built into the door for additional reinforcement. All cars and trucks have these.
#7-Laminated Windshield-This could be important, it’s the same thing that keeps bugs from getting into our teeth and rain from getting into our hair. The windshield is made up of two pieces of tempered glass with a laminated sheet in between. This is a glass sandwich that holds together well when sharp or heavy objects are banged against it. No breaking or large flying pieces of glass.
#8 Tempered Safety Glass – The other glass that gives us 360 degrees of protection is also designed with safety in mind. Automotive glass is heat tempered so that when it breaks, it breaks into a multitude of little cubes. Small cubes will not cut or insult the occupants.
#9-Child Safety Door Locks – As the name implies, these are small locks on the inside door jambs of the two rear doors (4-door sedan or wagon only). Close them and the little ones in the back seat can’t open and pull the inside door handles while we’re driving.
Bumper #10-5 mph – I would classify this as a safety item for the car itself. In the event that a driver lightly strikes a light pole, grocery cart, etc. At 5 mph or less, major structural damage is unlikely. These days the government mandated limit to follow is 2.5 mph, most car manufacturers have the 5 mph range.
#11 – Center High Mounted Brake Light – It’s really just a third brake light mounted higher than the two main brake lights, and most cars have them. Its main purpose is to make the drivers behind the motorist aware of your braking intentions, normally cars 6-10 behind can see this clearly.
#12-Roll Cage Construction – Think of a built-in roll cage, it is the main exoskeletal feature that provides the most protection. In every accidental situation, this protects 360 degrees. We can even literally flip a car or truck on its roof, the cage will support 1.5 times its own weight. there is nothing more important.
So there is our short list of security features, hopefully readers can use this information. And maybe, this will create more awareness about how safe our cars really are. No longer will we identify safety as just airbags and alarm systems, our daily drivers have been designed as intricately as the human body. All this to make our trips a safer one.