Top 5 Most Important Safety Features for Cars In 2024

Bill Allen | August 21, 2024 | Car Accidents

It wasn’t long ago that cars weren’t required to have seat belts. Today, research has significantly advanced our understanding of how crashes can impact drivers and passengers, leading to the inclusion of a range of safety features that help to prevent or minimize some of the most common injuries, as well as fatalities.

Each year, there are roughly six million reported traffic crashes on U.S. roadways, resulting in millions of injuries and thousands of deaths. New and improved safety features can help to reduce these numbers. What are some of the most important examples of safety devices in a car today, and how can they help to protect you and your passengers in the event of a car accident?

Three-Point Restraints

Seat belts were among the first car safety features mandated by law when the federal government required that they be added to all passenger vehicles in 1968. Unfortunately, it would still be several years before states started requiring drivers and passengers to click it or get a ticket.

The three-point (lap-and-shoulder) seat belt was first introduced by Volvo in 1959. Testing by Volvo showed that the use of this safety feature reduced driver and passenger injury and death in vehicle collisions by a margin of 50% to 60%. Since its inception, the three-point seat belt has enjoyed several upgrades, including pretensioners to tighten the belt during impact and load limiters to reduce the force on a person’s chest during a crash.

Airbags

Airbags for cars, first patented in 1951, have improved a lot over the years thanks to updates to technology and placement that reduced risks for women and children. Required in all new passenger vehicles since the 1999 model year, front airbags have been found to reduce driver fatalities in head-on collisions by 29% and front passenger fatalities (for occupants aged 13 and older) by 32%.

Active Head Restraints

Whiplash is among the most common injuries in car accidents, especially in rear-end collisions, and while shoulder belts and airbags help to arrest forward momentum, active head restraints work in tandem with these features to minimize backward momentum by automatically moving forward, following the occupant’s head, when activated by a rear-end impact.

Until recently, the only way to see what was behind your vehicle was by using mirrors with limited visibility or craning your neck to see out of side or rear windows. Today, there are more advanced ways to see if a car is in your blind spot when changing lanes or if there are obstructions or people behind your vehicle when you back up.

With sensors, your car can now alert you if a vehicle is in the lane next to you before you move over. If you’re about to back into something or someone, cameras can warn you without the need for you to crane your neck.

Electronic Stability Control

Every safety device in a car has a purpose, but some are more comprehensive than others. Electronic stability control (ESC) is a feature that helps to ensure drivers don’t lose control of the vehicle and spin out when there is a loss of traction, perhaps due to wet or icy road conditions or during hard turning, as when avoiding an obstacle in the road.

Always Drive Safely

Safety devices in cars can do a lot to prevent accidents and minimize harm when vehicle collisions occur. However, the driver is the most important safety feature in any car. When you behave responsibly behind the wheel, remain alert, and drive defensively, you have the best chance to reach your destination safely and protect your passengers along the way.

Contact Our Gainesville Car Accident Law Firm in North Central Florida

If you need legal assistance, contact the Gainesville car accident lawyers at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.

We have three convenient locations in North Central Florida:

Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Gainesville office
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Gainesville, FL 32608
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Gainesville, FL 32601
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Ocala, FL 34471
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