4 Things That Can Increase Your Car's Safety

Automotive Articles

Driving a car is many things. It is one of life's simplest pleasures and also one of the modern world's greatest necessities in this fast paced world. Cars allow people to brook great distances in a relatively short period of time and transport people from one place to another in no time flat. However, cars can also be a source of danger. Here are four things that can increase your car's safety, and pass the results onto you: back-up cameras, tinted windows, safety film and electronic stability control.

Back-Up Cameras

Back-up cameras are a relatively new feature in the world of car safety. Although items like seatbelts and airbags are absolute imperatives and can save lives during a dreaded car accident, back-up cameras are a true preventative measure in the world of car safety.

For years, drivers have been plagued by the fact that blind spots exist. Blind spots make maneuvering cars much more difficult than it should be, especially when backing up. Back-up cameras have essentially eliminated the phenomenon of blind spots. When they turn on, usually as a monitor on your dashboard or rear-view mirror, you have access to the full view of the backside of your car. You don't have to painfully crane your neck anymore.

Tinted Windows

Although people generally consider only getting window tinting to improve the appearance of their car, did you know that tinted windows can actually serve a safety function? The true function of tinted windows is not actually to prevent others from seeing into your car, but rather to prevent the sun's rays from entering your car. Tinted windows were invented, in part, so that drivers would not have to squint or adjust their body in such a way that their vision would be obscured when the sun's rays enter their car while driving. In addition, tinted windows actually cool down the interior of your car by not allowing as much sun to enter the vehicle. Window tinting has also been shown to filter out about 99% of UV rays, which can cause sunburns and make the interior of your car fade.

Safety Film

Safety film is placed over the windows of cars, particularly the front windshield. One of the greatest possible dangers during an automobile accident is the potential of flying glass shards when the windshield shatters. Glass shards can eviscerate your skin, and tiny pieces can even enter your eye, causing future optical problems down the road. Although today's car windows are generally very resilient, it never hurts to have a little help. Safety film serves to reinforce car windows such that the glass does not splinter and enter the automobile. Safety film is relatively easy to install, and tends to be perfectly cut for installation over your car's windshield.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Electronic stability control is a feature of certain cars, and a feature that can be introduced to your car, that helps the car detect and avoid skids, as well as helps you maintain control of the car under slippery conditions. It also helps to protect over-corrections that tend to cause car accidents. ESC works by using sensors on the steering wheel, the wheels of your car and your car's yaw to detect the way the direction the car is moving as well as the direction it thinks the driver wants the car to be moving.

For example, if the car has started to skid, the ESC will detect the driver moving the steering wheel in the direction the driver wants the car to be going. The ESC detects that the car is not moving in that direction, and can shift the wheels, take over steering and apply individual braking mechanisms to the tires to help get the car back on course. ESC won't prevent a car from losing control completely--for example, if conditions are especially bad or you are driving at excessive speeds, you might still lose control of the car--but it does help ensure that minor over-corrections, skids, and slides don't cause you to have complete loss of control of your car. 

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14 May 2015