High-Tech Vehicle Safety Systems
In recent years, rapid advances have been made to automotive technologies, especially with respect to electronic sensing and control systems. These have allowed engineers to develop a range of "high-tech" safety systems.
In this series of web pages, the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals, is pleased to provide information on a wide range of recently developed safety systems. These include devices that provide increased crash protection for vehicle occupants, and systems that may allow drivers to avoid collisions, or at least to mitigate their severity.
Some of these systems are available as standard equipment on new vehicles, while others may only be available as additional-cost options, or as part of specific equipment packages on certain vehicle models. Take the time to browse through the range of equipment described and consider if you shouldn't be looking for these added safety features next time you purchase a vehicle.
| Front Air Bags
Front air bags act as supplementary restraint systems, providing added protection for drivers and right-front passengers who are using the available seat belts. |
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Advanced air bag systems feature sophisticated sensors and multi-stage inflators to better tailor the deployment characteristics to the requirements of specific occupants, and to suppress deployment for certain at-risk occupant conditions. |
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Side air bags provide head and/or chest protection to motor vehicle occupants in nearside crashes. Vehicles may be equipped with torso bags, combination head and torso bags, and/or head curtains. |
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Pyrotechnic pretensioning systems are controlled by the crash sensors responsible for deploying the vehicle's air bags. When activated the pretensioner pulls down on the seat belt buckle or rewinds the belt's retractor spool in order to eliminate any slack in the system. |
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A load limiter is designed to allow the seat belt force applied the the chest to rise only to a point where serious injury is unlikely. This is especially important for the elderly who have less tolerance to high collision forces. |
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Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) Anti-lock brake systems automatically modulate the pressure in the braking system to avoid wheel lockup, providing adequate braking while allowing the vehicle driver to retain control of the steering. |
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In an emergency situation, brake assist systems apply the vehicle's brakes fully in order to prevent a crash or at least to reduce the collision severity. |
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Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Electronic stability control systems selectively apply the vehicle's brakes and/or reduce the engine power to keep the vehicle moving in the driver's intended direction and so prevent loss of control (spin out). |
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Traction control systems prevent wheel spin in slippery conditions when the vehicle needs to be accelerated. |
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Adaptive cruise control (ACC) employs sensing and control systems to monitor the vehicle's position with respect to any vehicle ahead and automatically changes the speed in order to maintain a preset following distance. |
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Event data recorders are part of the control system for air bag deployment. The EDR uses some of the available computer memory to store information about the crash severity and/or some of the pre-crash actions of the vehicle's driver. |
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Even with properly adjusted side mirrors, an overtaking vehicle may enter a region - a "blind spot" - outside of the driver's view to the side and rear of the vehicle. Blind spot detection systems automatically identify such objects and will issue a warning. |
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When a vehicle is being reversed, a backup warning system will provide an alert to the vehicle driver should the presence of an object, such as a small child in a driveway, behind their vehicle be detected. |
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In the dark, and especially when it's raining, it can be difficult to see pedestrians, cyclists, and animals on the road ahead. Night vision systems use the same technology employed by the military to let vehicle drivers "see in the dark" and identify such potential hazards. |
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In a rear-end collision, an active head restraint system uses mechanical linkages to move the head restraint and/or the seat back to cushion the vehicle occupant and reduce the possibility of a soft-tissue neck injury (whiplash). |
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