Playing It Safe What You Should Know About Vehicle Safety

Playing It Safe What You Should Know About Vehicle Safety

Car safety is much more than just airbags. Most people envision a safe vehicle as one that performs well in those ever-popular crash test dummy commercials. But in reality, it’s much more than that.

Consumer vehicle safety is based on two things: how well a vehicle fares in a crash and the features it possesses to help the driver of that vehicle avoid a crash to begin with. Both are equally important.

Avoiding a collision is ideal, but there will inevitably be collisions that are unavoidable due to weather conditions, other drivers, or unforeseen circumstances. When it comes right down to it, are you safe in your car or SUV?

Let’s start with crash protection. Should you get into a collision with another vehicle, how well will your vehicle fare? There are three types of crash tests: full-frontal (two vehicles hitting head on), side-impact (broad-sided accidents that most often happen when a driver runs a red light), and off-set frontal (the most common type – when one car turns into another car and the brunt of the impact is taken by either the front seat passenger or the driver). Airbags are probably the most important feature when considering the three types of crash tests. The vehicles that rate the best have both frontal airbags and side-impact airbags. Many models now offer head-curtain side impact airbags – like the popular Isuzu 5-Passenger Ascender SUV – which are airbags mounted above the side windows instead of below them and better protect the head as opposed to the torso in an accident.

Many other vehicles also offer a variety of crash safety features (sometimes referred to as ‘passive’ safety features) like steel cage or steel side bars built into the vehicle’s frame or collapsible steering columns that “give” by retracting into the dash to avoid causing torso injuries like broken ribs for the driver.

While it goes without saying, seatbelts are also important in surviving accidents. They may be the single most important feature of a vehicle in terms of safety. Shoulder harnesses as well as lap belts are now standard in almost every new car in both the front and back seats.

As we’ve already stated, features that help us avoid an accident are just as important. These are sometimes referred to as ‘active’ safety features because the driver can control the avoidance of an accident by using them. One such feature is an antilock braking system (also known as ABS) which frequently helps to avoid accidents.

Other features include responsive acceleration (a vehicle that has the ability to accelerate rapidly can merge into traffic more safely), internal visibility (a design that provides drivers with the ability to see the road and other cars clearly by minimizing blind spots), external visibility (a vehicle that can easily be seen by other drivers on the road), and emergency handling (the responsiveness of the steering wheel and how quickly and efficiently a vehicle responds to the driver’s control).

Understanding The Airbag

Understanding The Airbag

Ever since it was developed, the airbag has created a special role in the automotive industry in terms of features for car safety. According to some recent crash tests, airbags indeed can save a person’s life during vehicle collisions. Let us discuss more about airbags, find out how it works, and discover the benefits it could offer.

An airbag is a flexible, inflatable object that contains air or some other gas. It is also called the Air Cushion Restraint System (ACRS). Airbags can actually absorb the impact taken from a car crash by creating a cushion thus reducing the injuries of the vehicle’s occupants. The airbag system consists of three substantial parts: the airbag module, the crash sensor, and the diagnostic unit. Each part plays a significant role during a car crash. The airbag module is the one that contains the lightweight fabric that inflates during collision. Basically, there are two airbag modules located in a conventional vehicle like the new Lincoln Town Car, the driver airbag module and the passenger airbag module. The driver airbag module is located at the center of the steering wheel while the passenger module is dramatically placed at the instrument panel.

Because vehicles can have one or more crash sensors, they are located in different areas – either at the front of the vehicle near the bumper or in the passenger compartment area. The crash sensor works as a triggering device that measures the deceleration, which is the decreased velocity of a car or the rate in which the car slows down. The sensor is activated during the car crash which actually is the force that was generated in the front or rear of a car.

The last part of an airbag system, which is the diagnostic unit, acts as a condition sensor for the airbag. It measures the preparedness of the airbag in case of a car crash. The diagnostic unit activates when the car’s engine is turned on. It checks the airbag if it is in good condition and ready to use. If certain problem occurs, a warning light is activated and signals the driver that the airbag is malfunctioning and needs to be fixed.

During its peak of development, airbags only focus on frontal impacts. It cannot absorb impacts generated from the rear and side of a vehicle thus making it an ineffective safety device for rollovers and side impacts. However, with the latest trend in the automotive industry along with the new technological safety features, vehicles are now equipped with rear, side, and even curtain airbags to protect its occupants from injuries during car collisions. Who knows what other benefits and updates will airbags offer in the future?

How To Identify Your New Car Safety Ratings

How To Identify Your New Car Safety Ratings

One of the most important considerations you should never overlook when buying a new or used vehicle is its safety features. Safety has become more important to everyone in recent years; let’s face it we spend a lot of time in our cars and with our families so car safety should outrank any cosmetic preferences. Now there are very specific government and auto industry standards to keep you and your family safe so let’s take a look at what to look for.

One of the best car safety indicators of overall safety is the government crash test rating. All new vehicles will have these ratings readily available and it is a great place to begin understanding what you new car safety rating is. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA which you can find at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ is your first stop. The NHTSA uses two methods of crash testing in determining the safety of the vehicle, full frontal impact and side impact. The NHTSA uses a five star rating scale, the higher the number of stars the safer the vehicle is, the lower the number of stars the more dangerous the vehicle. You can find an outline of these car safety ratings and grades at www.safercars.gov.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is another great resource to help with learning about your car safety rating as well. The IIHS is a research group which conducts crash tests as well but more for the insurance industry. The one important difference about their frontal crash testing is that they use a more realistic offset testing method. Instead of crashing head on, which is extremely rare in frontal accidents, the crash test runs the vehicle into a deformable barrier meant to simulate another vehicle moving at 40 M.P.H. and the barrier only covering the portion of the vehicle in front of the driver. Most head on accidents are usually offset somewhat which usually results in worse damage due to torque and structural weakness. The IISH car safety tests cover this and help us understand the reality of a true head on collision. The IISH scores or ratings in their tests are rated by Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor.

Now that you have a better idea of what your car safety rating is, you will also want to know what type of air bag system the vehicle has. All new vehicles are only mandated by law to have dual front airbags but many manufacturers realizing the important of safety have begun to offer side and rear airbags as well which is even more important in multi passenger vehicles like vans and SUVs. The side curtain airbags that drop down from the headliner offer greater head protection from the side and are highly recommended. Some vehicles now even have weight sensors as well that disable the airbag if a person below a certain weight is sitting there. This improvement came about from the first airbags that injured shorter people in the front seat due to headshots and airbag release pressure. You will start to see these improved safety sensors more and more from new vehicles.

Another very important consideration is the rollover rate of the vehicle as well. Vehicles with a higher profile are more likely to turn over. SUVs are up to three times more likely to roll over than passenger vehicles. The majority of all SUV fatalities have been due to rollover. Most SUVs come with options of 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive giving owners a false sense of security. Drivers of these vehicles think that because they have these options are invincible and push the envelope then expect the vehicle to perform whatever situations drivers put them in. Unfortunately, although they might have better traction in adverse weather and road conditions, these vehicles have more of a possibility of tipping when sharp cornering is attempted.

Antilock brakes have been around awhile and are a proven safety device, which is why insurance companies give you a discount if your vehicle has them; we highly recommended that you buy a vehicle with ABS. Although many who use ABS the first time hate the feeling of not stopping like they used to, ABS does prevent the wheels from locking up during a hard stop, something that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. ABS almost always provides shorter stops, but, even more importantly, the system helps keep the vehicle straight and allows the driver to maneuver during a panic stop.

Obviously child safety is what most of us really care about first off and for good reason. If you do have infants always make sure you look for a new technology called LATCH which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This universal system was designed to make it easier and safer to attach car seats due to the fact that many car seats are incompatible with the vehicle’s safety belts. You’ll also find more and more automobile manufacturers are adding build in car seats to ensure even more safety for our children which you might see this prominently in Mini Vans right now.

One more thing I’d like to touch on is the power features in a car. You should be sure that if the vehicle has power windows and door locks, which is basically a standard feature on most models now, it also has disabling locks that you can control to keep children from accidentally opening doors and windows and creating unwanted chances for injury.

As you can see there are many issues when discussing new car safety and these are just a few of the main safety features to look for. There are many other Consumer Reports and car safety reviews that provide even more information and provide good source for comprehensive car safety information.

Take The Information Superhighway To Driving Safely

Take The Information Superhighway To Driving Safely

Whether you’re thinking of buying a new car or just doing some research on your current one, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a Web site that can help in several ways.

Easy Access to Safety Ratings

One of the site’s most convenient features is the 5 Star Crash Test and Rollover Ratings search engine. This online database lets you look up a vehicle by make, model and year to quickly access its safety rating. Ratings are based on a one- to five-star scale, with five being the highest. Since online test results go all the way back to 1990, this can also be the “go-to” place for those seeking information on used vehicles.

The ratings are determined by:

1. Frontal crash test: Crash-test dummies representing an average-sized adult are placed in driver and front passenger seats and secured with the vehicle’s seat belts. Vehicles are crashed into a fixed barrier at 35 mph, which is equivalent to a head-on collision between two similar vehicles each moving at 35 mph.

2. Side crash test: Crash-test dummies representing an average-sized adult are placed in the driver and rear passenger seats (driver’s side) and secured with the vehicle’s seat belts. The side crash test represents an intersection-type collision with a 3,015-pound barrier moving at 38.5 mph into a standing vehicle.

3. Rollover ratings test: Rollover ratings starting with the 2004 model year include the results of a recently implemented tipping test. Dubbed the “fishhook” for its serpentine design, this rigorous on-the-road safety test measures your chance of rollover and is the first of its kind to be conducted by a government agency. Rollover ratings for previous model years are based solely on a stationary test that measures how “top heavy” a vehicle is.



In case you think your current car or truck has a defect, the site has a section where you can file a safety complaint, research ongoing investigations and check for recalls. Your online complaint submissions help lead to recalls and increase highway safety for everyone. In addition to reporting complaints about vehicles, vehicle equipment or tires, you can use this to file a complaint about a child safety seat. The site also provides useful information on rollover prevention, air bag safety and tire ratings.

Best And Worst Baby Car Seats

Best And Worst Baby Car Seats

With so many baby car seat models being sold, many new parents feel overwhelmed and stressed out about which one is the best choice. It’s such an important decision! The last thing you’d want is to have your child in a baby car seat that does not provide the maximum amount of protection for your child in the event that you have a car crash.

One of the great things about the Internet is that you can research virtually anything in the comfort of your own home. Sure, there’s a lot of trivial, useless stuff out there, but there’s also a lot of practical information we can use in our everyday lives. When it comes to researching something like a baby car seat, consumer protection organizations often have elaborate websites that are the perfect places to get what you need.

Consumer Reports is a famous organization devoted to giving consumers detailed information about products of all kinds – including your next baby car seat. In May, 2005, the good people at Consumer Reports conducted a detailed test of several brands of car seats. They wanted to find the best (and worst) baby car seat being sold, based on crash protection, ease of use, and proper vehicle fit. Here are the results for both infant car seats and convertible car seats.

Best & Worst Infant Baby Car Seat

An infant baby car seat is made for babies up to about 20 lbs. (birth to 9 months). In this category, the best baby car seat was the Britax Companion. It rated ‘Very Good to Excellent’ on crash protection, ‘Very Good’ on ease of use, and ‘Excellent’ on vehicle fit. The only drawback with this model of baby car seat was price. At $170, it was among the highest priced seats on the market.

The baby car seat that scored lowest (of those tested) was the Evenflo PortAbout 5 (Premier Comfort Touch). It rated only ‘Fair to Good’ on crash protection, ‘Very Good’ on ease of use, and ‘Excellent’ on vehicle fit. While it scored among the highest in the latter two categories, the primary concern with any baby car seat is protection, and this one just doesn’t pass muster.

Best & Worst Convertible Baby Car Seat

A convertible baby car seat is designed for children up to about 35 lbs. in rear-facing models and up to 40 lbs. for front-facing seats. Among these child seats, the Evenflo Titan 5 scored an impressive ‘Excellent’ rating in both crash protection and vehicle fit. It rated ‘Very Good’ on ease of use. Overall, this is an excellent baby car seat!

The worst score in this category was given to the Britax Marathon baby car seat. The only real problem with this model is the latch, which had some problems and drove the ratings down for crash protection and vehicle fit. It’s still rated ‘Excellent’ in several categories, so even this baby car seat isn’t a bad buy. You just want to be sure that the latch works properly in your particular vehicle.

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