HOW SAFE ARE YOU ON ROAD-safety measures of your vehicles provided by vehicle makers when you buy it
According to world
health organization nearly 1.2 million people die every year from road accidents and up to 50 million injured worldwide. Let us look into safety measures the vehicle makers provide you with. We can divide the safety system into two major categories.
· First-generation active safety systems. (Dating from 1971 to 1992)
· Next generation smart safety systems. (Dating from 2003 to 2009)
First-generation active safety systems. 1971-TCS or traction -control systems: TCS prevents loss of control when excessive throttle is applied introduced by general motors.
1978-Antilock brakes (ABS): ABS maintains steering control under heavy breaking by Mercedes Benz.
1987-Enhanced stability control: Prevent skids. Cuts risk of fatal single-vehicle accident by 50% by Robert Bosh.
1992-Emergency Brake Assist: Reduces emergency stopping distance by up to 20% by Daimler
Next generation smart safety systems. 2003-Pre-crash system: tightens seat belts and activates brakes by Denso
2005-Blind spot detector: warns if vehicle is within 10 meters in adjacent lane by Visiocorp
2007-Lane - departure warning: sounds alarm when car strays from lane or if hazard detected by Mobileye
2008-Automated breaking: Reduces low speed collisions, which account for around 75%of all crashes. Volvo’s City Safety works up to 30km/h
2009-Automated pedestrian recognition: Detects people or animal in cars path by Mobileye
2009-Back over detection: Applies brakes if person or obstacle is behind vehicle while reversing by Ford, Mobileye