What Are the Most Useful Car Technologies to Help New Drivers?

For people across the United States, driving is a daily necessity. Whether you need to get to work, run errands, or drop your children off at school, it’s likely that you’ll need to get behind the wheel to accomplish what needs to be done. However, driving can prove to be a daunting experience for inexperienced motorists, regardless of their age. In this article, we discuss features available in modern cars that can make driving a more manageable experience for less-experienced drivers.

Blind Spot Monitoring

Blind spot monitoring was invented in the early 2000s to help drivers detect other vehicles, bicycles, and obstructions in their blind spots. Many modern vehicles have blind spot monitoring available, either as part of the car’s base trim or as a purchasable upgrade. A blind spot monitoring system uses cameras and radar mounted on a vehicle’s exterior to detect objects that the driver would be unable to see. The driver then receives a visual or audible warning that it is not safe to switch lanes.

While blind spot monitoring systems can be incredibly useful for new and experienced drivers alike, it’s important to remain diligent and check over your shoulders while driving. Technological failures, obstructed sensors, or poor weather can compromise a blind spot monitoring system’s functionality. You should always be diligent and double-check that your blind spots are clear to avoid a preventable collision and subsequent Geneva car accident lawsuit.

Forward Collision Warning

Forward collision warning systems use sensors, such as cameras or radar, to detect when a collision is likely to occur due to something in front of your vehicle. This is particularly useful for providing an early warning when you are rapidly approaching a car that is moving slowly or stopped. Your car may warn you of an imminent collision by sound, seat vibrations, a flashing warning light, or some combination thereof. Many vehicles are also equipped with automatic emergency braking, which can provide further assistance in avoiding a preventable crash. 

Automatic Emergency Braking

Automatic emergency braking detects when a frontal collision is about to occur and responds by activating your vehicle’s brakes to avoid a crash. Some systems only work at low speeds, which helps prevent crashes on urban roads, in parking lots, and in heavy traffic. However, systems that are limited to low-speed collision avoidance are less useful when the vehicle is traveling at full speed on a highway or rural road. Most automatic emergency braking systems are functional at higher speeds as well, but may only be able to slow your car down prior to a collision, not stop it entirely to keep the wreck from happening. 

Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance

There are few things more frustrating than having another car speed behind you as you’re trying to cautiously back out of a parking space. Fortunately, modern technology is able to reduce the risk of a fender bender, thanks to rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance systems. Your car will display a visual or audible warning when another vehicle is detected approaching from either side of your car as you reverse. In some cases, your vehicle may also have an emergency braking system that can activate to prevent a collision if an oncoming car is likely to hit you as you back up.  

Lane Departure Warning

Even an experienced driver can have a momentary lapse in concentration or get drowsy behind the wheel, causing their vehicle to drift into an adjacent lane or off the road entirely. Such incidents frequently end in disastrous and entirely avoidable crashes. While accidents may sometimes be avoided if a driver regains control of their vehicle before it veers off the road, close-calls of this nature tend to be scary for everyone involved.

Cars equipped with a lane departure warning system help their drivers stay in their lane at all times. Vehicles with lane departure warning features use cameras to monitor the car’s position between the lines on the road, giving the driver a visual or audible warning if their car begins to drift to either side of the lane. This can help prevent accidents caused by distracted or drowsy drivers.

Making the Most of Modern Technology to Stay Safe on the Road

Modern-day vehicle technologies can help drivers, bikers, and pedestrians stay safe on the road. New drivers have it easier than ever, with systems such as blind spot monitoring, lane departure warnings, and automatic emergency braking to reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions. We hope this article helps you better understand your car’s performance and stay safe the next time you get behind the wheel.