 | Richard Smith has been in the Auto Body Industry for 26 years. He is ASE Certified Master Collision Tech, an I-Car Platinum Tech, and an I-Car Instructor. He and His wife own and operate Sharp's Auto Body & Collision Inc. located at 202 North Elm St. in Pittsburg, Kansas. He is a father of 5 children, Ex Military E-6 Staff SGT. and is active in his home Church. The one thing he enjoys doing is educating the public about the safety and proper repair of automobiles, no matter if it is a vehicle that has been in a collision, a small dent, or a complete restoration. The shop is always equipped with a skilled professional to handle your auto needs. |
Automotive Service & Repair
2011-09-29 14:42:26
Best electronic features to prevent collisions - series - part 3
A: As we take our final look at electronic features that prevent collisions, you will see that there are many options in high-tech safety features that may help prevent an accident. Let’s look at some more great features.
1. Drowsiness Alerts
Drowsiness Alert systems help combat fatigue related automobile accidents. Studies show that over 20% of auto related accidents and over 1,500 deaths in the United States occur because of sleep deprivation. There are a number of different drowsiness alert systems employed by auto manufactures. Some systems use a small camera which monitor the driver’s blinks to detect sleepiness, others use the steering patterns. When the system detects that you have become sleepy, it will sound a loud warning beep.
2. Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety describes Electronic Stability Control Systems as “a vehicle control system comprised of sensors and a microcomputer that continuously monitors how well a vehicle responds to a driver’s steering input, selectively applies the vehicle brakes and modulates engine power to keep the vehicle traveling along the path indicated by the steering wheel position.” The technology helps prevent the skidding and loss of control that can lead to rollovers by helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle. The feature has proven to improve safety so dramatically that the federal government has passed regulations requiring that all new cars and trucks have the feature as standard equipment by 2012.
3. Designated Key Features
Currently available on some model Fords, the “MyKey” feature deserves a special shout out. Likely to be adopted by other makers, the MyKey Feature is sheer genius for those with new drivers in the home. The technology allows you to designate a different key for each driver and each key is coded with specific driving restrictions, such as speed and volume control on the radio. Particularly in teen driving, speed and distraction are two common problems contributing to collisions.
Out of all of the features we discussed, they all have one important element in common—the driver. Even utilizing all of this advanced technology, the driver remains the number one element in preventing an accident.
