Following are top 10 safety features that should have been offered even in base variants of entry level cars
Tyre Pressure monitoring system
Properly inflated tires help in the best performance, the best fuel economy, reduce blow out and extend tire life. TPMS stands for Tire Pressure monitoring system that consist of sensors that go in each of car wheel and They tell driver about car tire current pressure. When TPMS check 25% reduction in tire pressure it illuminated light on dashboard. In advance countries like USA; TPMS is a mandatory installment for all new cars after year 2008. If your car has TPMS sensors and that is five years old its time to replace sensors.
Headrest
Headrest prevent whiplash injury. Head rest quickly catches head during emergency. Whiplash injury occur when head is lag behind the body and neck is not able to pull the head along. A lot of cars have movement or adjustment that will move the headrest or just tilt.
Rear parking sensors
The rear parking sensors helps to enhance driver alertness by detecting object close to vehicle while parking. There are sensors in all four corners of the vehicle that can detects object within 32 inches in rear; the rear center sensor can detect objects about 43 inches. Audible alters are issued when objects are detected. The moderate beeping occurs when rear center sensor detects objects between 43 and 32 inches of the vehicle. Beeping becomes more rapid when any sensor detects an object within 32 inches to 22 inches. Objects between 32 inches and 18 inches trigger even quicker beeping and it becomes continuous when objects are 18 inches or less from sensor.
AirBag
D Pedal
Properly inflated tires help in the best performance, the best fuel economy, reduce blow out and extend tire life. TPMS stands for Tire Pressure monitoring system that consist of sensors that go in each of car wheel and They tell driver about car tire current pressure. When TPMS check 25% reduction in tire pressure it illuminated light on dashboard. In advance countries like USA; TPMS is a mandatory installment for all new cars after year 2008. If your car has TPMS sensors and that is five years old its time to replace sensors.
ABS with EBD
ABS prevents wheel lock up and delivers improved steering control during hard braking. ABS helps tire to maintain better grip on road during difficult stops and helps with better grip to stop the vehicle more effectively. Tire steer better too. A skidding tire has less braking and cornering capability than a rolling tire. A skidding tire generates very little cornering force hence ABS help to improve driver’s ability to stop and steer at the same time.
EBD reduces brake pressure at lightly loaded wheels that are more prone to skid. When driver steps on the brake pedal during a straight ahead stop; the vehicle weight transfers forward to front wheels; when driver steps brake pedal while cornering, the vehicle weight transfers to the outside wheels in both cases momentum shifts weights and reduces braking grip on a specific set of wheels with less vehicle weight. ABS wheel-based sensors are designed to detect this weight difference before it turns into full fledge skid and began to reduce pressure to the less loaded wheels. With EBD, the brakes can be modulated more precisely to keep brake force at wheels to the most traction and maintain vehicle stability.
Manual Antiglare Mirror
Nighttime driving can be stressful for small car drivers. Headlight glare from rear view mirror can reduce visibility, cause fatigue and discomfort. Antiglare mirror can help diminish eye strain and improve night time driving safety. Antiglare mirrors are design to reduce light intensity from vehicle behind you.
ISOFIX Child Mount
It is a standardized international car set fitting system. It was first developed in 1997 and made standard in all cars in year 2006. ISOFIX makes installing car seat simple, easy and quick. ISOFIX latch on specially designed anchor points and metal clip at base of seat of the car. ISOFIX also comes with antitipping and anti-rotational device to provide better stability. Top tether is a secured belt that attaches to car top tether anchor point which is either on boot floor or seat back. These are universal ISOFIX car seat. There are semi universal ISOFIX car seats that support leg of foot prop that rest on floor of the car. ISOFIX provides more direct and rigid connection by attaching chassis of the vehicle. It also reduces risk of incorrect installation making safest way to secure your child in the car.
Emergency Stop Signal
The emergency stop signal feature detects the emergency or panic braking condition and warns trailing vehicle by making brake lights and hazard lights blink. During panic braking brake lamps will blink based on vehicle speed followed by hazard lamps blinks to warn oncoming traffic. This helps reduce the chance of rear collision during emergency or panic braking.
Seatbelt Pretensioner with force limiter
Recent advancement in seatbelt technology have resulted in more sophisticated technology that enhances occupant protection while helping reduce injury from system itself. Pretensioners automatically retracts the seat belts and securing occupant instantly during sever deceleration. The aim is to control occupant movement within the cabin space while ensuring belts are comfortable in everyday use. To avoid injury to the occupants by seatbelt themselves force limiter systems were used. Force limiter system come into play when seatbelt pressure applied to occupant predetermined level at that point limiter allows the belt to extend to help reduce the impact on occupant chest. In serious collision when SRS airbag may deploy the pretensioner activates with airbag after a signal is received from SRS sensor assembly. Force limiter reduce the load applied to occupant’s chest. Combined these systems help comfortable airbag deployment during front collision. As an added steps vehicle are equipped with adjustable height seat belts, they should adjust correctly for occupant of different heights to maximize safety.
Speed Sensing Auto Lock & Unlock
It is a very important safety feature. Car gets automatically locked when it gets speed of 15 to 20 kmph. Also all doors and boot automatically unlocked if any of these conditions are met, The car is stand still and key is removed from the ignition, If any one of the door is opened from inside, In event of an accident the airbags have been triggered. Automatic unlocking gives access to the emergency crew or people nearby to help occupants in an emergency situation.