When purchasing family cars, one of the most important considerations will be the safety features included in the design. Nothing is more important than family, consequently the safety features of family cars, whether these features are active or passive, will all need to be considered carefully when deciding on the most appropriate model of car to buy.
The majority of cars these days include the most up to date anti-locking braking systems (ABS), along with driver assistance technology. The most advanced, now have electronic stability controls, (ESC), which is designed to help control the vehicle during extreme manoeuvring. ESC can sense when a car is beginning to spin out of control and will subsequently apply the brake to one wheel.
Side Curtain Airbags
Airbags, front, side and curtain, are included in some models, and as extras on other models, though front airbags are mandatory others are not, therefore it is best not to assume all models carry the same features. Airbags are crucial in shielding drivers and passengers from serious neck, chest and head injuries. Seat belt pre-tensioners are a useful feature, especially when several people are driving the same car and therefore often moving the seats forwards and backwards. This feature retracts the belt, removing any slack in the event of an accident. An energy management feature allows the seat belt to yield a little during an incident, thus reducing the level of force impacting on the chest.
Front seats are required to have head restraints fitted, they are designed to reduce head movement caused by rear impact accidents. Most head restraints are adjusted manually, some are now automatic, in that they change with the position of the seat, or in the event of an impact they adjust dynamically, these offer the best protection from neck injury.
The fixing of child seats is a tricky task even for the most experienced of parents, cars with special car seat mountings offer reassurance that the child seat is safe and secure when in situ, and if you have wide opening doors, which give easier access to the rear of the car, then securing the seat becomes even easier.
There are a number of optional safety features that could be installed in family cars, making the driving experience even safer. These include; adaptive lights that help drivers to see round bends in the road, some also automatically dip the headlights when detecting oncoming traffic, a curve control system that attempts to slow down the car, if it detects too high a speed when navigating a bend in the road, lane departure warning, this system monitors the road’s lane markings and sounds a warning, to alert the driver when it detects the driver is drifting unintentionally to the next lane.
