Car Safety

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                                        Car Safety – By Toni Bull 10APHT

        This is about features that improve your concentration on the roads. Safety design and features help to protect the occupants of a vehicle from serious injury in an accident. Important safety design features are those, which will help to avoid an accident, protect the occupants in a crash and assist the performance of the driver. Maintenance of your vehicles will ensure good running order and that all safety features are functioning well. Pay particular attention to the condition of your tyres and ensure brakes are functioning correctly with brake pad replacement occurring as necessary. Vehicles should be designed with good field of vision all around and with controls that are within safe and easy reach for the driver. A vehicle designed with good handling and control can improve performance in an emergency situation. Using your vehicle's safety features correctly can decrease the chances of serious injury in an accident. Seatbelts, Airbags and Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) are considered the most important safety features a vehicle can have. There are many other features that can improve safety and should be considered, depending on the operational requirements of the vehicle. Many safety features can enhance the value of a vehicle on the used car market.                                        

Seatbelts provide the most important protection from serious injury in a motor vehicle accident. Belts should be able to be adjusted to fit the individual wearer. Seatbelt mounting and anchorage allow for adjustment to ensure comfort. There are other design features such as pre-tensioner belts that provide additional safety to the seatbelt retraction system. Three-point seatbelt systems provide better protection than two-point lap belts, which are sometimes fitted to the centre rear position.                                                

Airbags provide a safety barrier between the occupant and the interior of the vehicle. A driver's airbag provides protection from the steering wheel and passenger airbags also provide substantial protection in a crash. The driver should be no closer than thirty centimetres to the steering wheel of a vehicle fitted with a driver's airbag. There are a number of side airbag systems also available to provide some protection from side impact.

ABS allows hard braking without the brakes locking up and the vehicle skidding, but only operates effectively under heavy braking or on slippery surfaces. ABS does not reduce the stopping distance and does not provide compensation for speeding or aggressive driving.

Headrests are intended to minimise neck injury, particularly from a rear impact. The headrest should be at least as high as eye level and as close to the back of the head as possible to provide the best support.

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Seat Height Adjustment allows the driver to gain the best possible field of vision, safe and easy access to the vehicle's controls and can improve driver comfort resulting in better concentration.

Steering Wheel Adjustment allows for more control over the wheel and access to controls, as well as contributes to driver comfort.

Power Steering enables better control over a vehicle particularly when parking and making sharp turns.

Mirrors: Electronically controlled mirrors allow for easier re-adjustment for individual drivers needs.

Air Conditioning: Control of temperature contributes to comfort and therefore to driver concentration. It allows for easy demisting of windows, ...

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