The Latest Vehicle Safety Features
CAR TECH TIPS: The Safety Features You Want And Need:
While the styling of cars has changed over the years, the most dramatic changes are the ones that can’t be seen: the ones under the skin of new cars. From the improvement in materials used to the electronic safety features, our day to day driving experience has become exponentially safer, even as recently as in the past five years.
In usually-sunny Florida, driving conditions can be especially hazardous thanks to varying weather conditions and heavy traffic. The safest cars and SUVs contain most, if not all, of the features we will discuss today. Thanks to competition, high-end brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus lead the way in technology and safety features that can save your life in an emergency situation.
There are several categories of safety features that have massively improved over the years:
1. Improved Vehicle Materials
2. Anti-Lock Braking and Electronic Stability Control
3. Collision Warning and Avoidance Systems
· Improved Vehicle Materials
This category is by far the most underrated one. While all metals may seem the same, in reality they have progressed significantly over time, especially in the past 10 years. Car manufacturers have relied on changes in materials in order to both improve safety and decrease weight, in hopes of creating the safest cars possible while giving you the best fuel efficiency as well.
The most prominently used modern metals are High-Strength Steel and Aluminum. While many people may think “steel is just steel,” in reality the material has improved dramatically.
High-Strength Steel is a Steel-Alloy that is much stronger per pound than traditional Steel. What this means is that cars can be stronger without getting any heavier.
What This Means To You: High-Strength Steel structurers are important in the case of an accident, as they keep the passengers inside of the car safe in the case of an accident.
Aluminum also plays an important role in vehicle safety, as it is extremely light and very strong. Aluminum is mostly used for vehicle exterior body panels, providing both protection and a significant amount of weight savings.
What This Means To You: Aluminum keeps a car light so that more steel can be used around the passenger compartment to keep yourself and other occupants safe.
Currently, the only restriction with these two excellent metals is that they are most expensive than more traditional metals. Through years of experience, I have seen that luxury car manufacturers with more extensive budgets on their vehicles are able to use these materials more extensively than most brands, providing you with the highest level of safety should a potentially hazardous event occur.
· Anti-Lock Braking and Electronic Stability Control
These computerized systems have improved dramatically over the years. The most common systems that we have grown familiar with are Anti-Lock Braking Systems and Electronic Stability Control.
Anti-Lock Brakes, commonly referred to as just “ABS”, is a computer-controlled braking system that stops your tires from locking up when you brake heavily. This technology works by pulsing your brakes to avoid skidding, which you may have felt as a “bump bump bump” pulsing feeling if you’ve braked heavily recently. Mercedes-Benz and BMW were pioneers in ABS technology, making these pulses more rapid and therefore improving emergency braking performance.
What This Means To You: Shorter braking distances, especially in the rain, avoiding any potential accidents.
Electronic Stability Control helps control your car if an emergency avoidance maneuver is required. ESC (as it is commonly called) uses the brakes, throttle and even steering to assist your natural reactions in an avoidance maneuver as well as daily driving. As you may have felt in a quick driving maneuver or when driving in conditions such as rain or snow, your car doesn’t always go in the direction you are steering. Electronic Stability Control can brake each individual wheel, something you can’t do, as well as reduce throttle, to bring you back on your intended path. BMW was the first to offer ESC, and had it standard on all of their vehicles in 1992, including on the then-new BMW 3-Series. Mercedes-Benz followed up shortly behind them, both brands improving the systems constantly for your safety.
What This Means To You: Your new car stays on the path you intend, keeping you on the road and out of danger.
· Collision Warning and Avoidance Systems
Collision Warning and Avoidance Systems have become significantly more advanced over the past few years. The first collision warning system you may have experienced was at slow speeds, as parking sensors beeped when your car became close to an object, another vehicle, or even a person. While this has become a norm (along with rearview cameras), sensors around modern cars can take it much more detailed information at higher speeds.
One of the most common warning systems is a blind-spot detection system. Through visual warnings on your mirrors and dashboard, these systems use electronic sensors towards the rear of your car to warn you when another vehicles is in that troubling blind spot where your rearview mirror and side mirrors seem can miss.
What This Means To You: Avoid collisions caused by missing someone in that blind spot, helping you complete your journey safely.
Forward Collision Alert systems have become more prominent from many luxury car brands. These systems use cameras as well as radar sensors to detect vehicles in front of them constantly, always aware of any maneuvers or changes in speed vehicles around you may make. While you may be distracted at times, your car will not be. If the system detects a car in a location that may cause a collision, it will warn you visually and even audibly.
What This Means To You: No more “blind spots.” what you can’t see, your car does.
Cars have more recently taken a step forward to actually preventing a crash. These collision prevention systems allow your car to assist you with braking and avoiding a collision. Technology such as Mercedes-Benz’s PRE-SAFE and the BMW and Lexus Pre-Collision System will warn you of an impending collision and even apply the brakes if necessary. If the system detects that you are not braking or braking hard enough to avoid the collision, your car will assist you and do everything possible to avoid an accident. If a crash is determined imminent, your car will do everything from tension your seatbelt to hold you in place to close the windows and sunroof to best protect you. If an accident does occur, your vehicle can automatically turn your hazard lights on, unlock the doors, and phone emergency services letting them know you need assistance.
What This Means To You: Your car will assist you in avoiding an accident, and in the unlikely and unfortunate occurrence than an accident is imminent, the vehicle will do everything to keep you safe and make sure you receive the care you need.
While the information above is just a brief outline of the features available on BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus cars and SUVs, all work together to protect you. Luxury car brands such as the ones discussed have the opportunity to lead the path for the future, bringing you the safest, strongest cars with the best preventative and collision technologies.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: At Master Auto Leasing, we’re here to help. Whether you are on the West Coast in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and further south, or on the East Coast from Jacksonville down through Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, we will provide our expect analysis of your vehicle and safety needs. Clients often ask why we focus our efforts on BMW leases, Mercedes leases and Lexus leases. We believe that with our help, these luxury vehicles not only provide the value people want, but the safety they need.
Here are just a few vehicles we lease that have many of the safety features discussed above: BMW 228i, BMW 320i, BMW 328i, BMW 428i, BMW 528i, BMW X3, BMW X5, BMW 740i, BMW i3, Lexus IS200t, Lexus RC200t, Lexus ES350, Lexus GS200t, Lexus NX200t, Lexus RX350, Lexus GX460, Mercedes-Benz C300, Mercedes-Benz E350, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, Mercedes-Benz GLA250, Mercedes-Benz CLA250, Mercedes-Benz GLE350, Mercedes-Benz S550, and many more. Please reach out to us at www.masterautoleasing.com or over the phone at 855-750-1212 for more assistance. Thank you!