Make Sure Your Vehicle is Up to the Task on Safety

When you purchase a vehicle what do you look for?  Are you checking out the gas mileage, the price you are going to pay and the engine that’s under the hood?  All these are important parts of the car buying experience, but just as important in cars that are made and offered now are the systems and features that come offered on many vehicles.  One of the most advanced and important safety systems on many vehicles of today is the Forward Collison Warning system which alerts you when you are driving too close to a vehicle ahead of you.

Let’s Brake it Down

In some cases, this system includes automatic braking or at least a charging of the brakes.  The IIHS reports show us that vehicles that have the warning-only system can help reduce collisions by seven percent while those with the warning and automatic braking reduce the number of collisions by fourteen percent.  This is a huge decrease in crashes from the front of one vehicle to the rear of the other and as the driver in the car to the rear; these collisions have always been deemed an at-fault accident on the part of the driver to the rear.

This warning system can be either a camera-operated or radar-operated system.  The radar system is more accurate and not susceptible to weather conditions that can cause the lens and sensors of a camera-based system to give false warnings.  With either system in place, you will receive a warning when you get too close to the vehicle in front of you which is either a series of lights, sounds, seat vibrations or a combination of the three.  For vehicles that have automatic braking included, the brakes could be engaged when the warning system begins to alert.

What Do People Think?

The response to this system thus far has been a positively glowing one.  Those who have this system on their vehicle are glad to have it, stating it helps make them better drivers and gives them a sense of security especially when they turn the keys over to the younger drivers in their families.  The system has helped keep people alert to the distance they are following and what is a safe distance based upon the speed of travel. With this system in place, more drivers are ensuring they are able to keep their distance where it should be and avoid the possibility of a collision with a vehicle in front of them.

The next step is to see the automatic braking be able to engage at higher speeds, which is quickly happening.  With more vehicles offering this system as standard offerings in the menu you should certainly make sure your next vehicle has the Forward Collision Warning system included.  This system may be one you never have to make use of or never even see the warning, especially if you don’t follow closely, but when it does make itself known to you, you certainly will be thankful you have it installed.