Over the years, driving a car has become a lot simpler & it wouldn't have been possible without the addition of some features. we are now so used to them, that we often forget to appreciate them. Did you know that almost 12 lakh people were killed in India in road accidents in the last decade? On an average one Indian is killed every four minutes in the mishap. These are some car features that can help you save your life when you are behind the wheel.
SEATBELTS:
Seatbelts were invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin. In the event of a crash, seat belts are designed to hold the occupant in place. They also reduce the risk of the person meeting with a crash from colliding with the steering wheel, dashboard, or windshield. Wearing a seatbelt is not only mandatory for the driver, but also for the person sitting at the back. Reports suggest, that people died in road accidents last year seated at the back without wearing a seat belt, caused them serious injuries including cervical fractures. Around 45 per cent accidents in the world could have been avoided by the mere use of seatbelts, suggests reports.
POWER STEERING:
While cars like the Maruti 800 and the Premier Padmini did hit the high note in India, we have to admit they were pretty difficult to drive, especially in traffic. Moreover, it used to be a Tough task to park. But over the years, car technology has advanced and made the overall driving experience a lot easier. A lot of this can be attributed to the addition of power steering in all cars. The steering wheel now not only feels a lot lighter and easy to manoeuvre but is also more responsive to inputs.
AIRBAGS:These are quite literally, bags of air that inflate in milli-seconds in case of an accident. When your car collides with an object, the air bags become active and inflate. This provides cushioning to your body to prevent injuries. Though, the front airbags are standard, some manufacturers give additional airbags on the side for extra safety.
ELECTRIC ORVM: Talking about cars back in the day, most of them either didn't have ORVMs or were manually adjustable. And although we did make it a habit to adjust them before driving off, we have to admit it was indeed quite a pain to adjust it. One had to make several attempts before finally setting it as per your driving position. But now thanks to the electronically adjustable ORVMs the task is a lot simpler.
SEATBELTS:
Seatbelts were invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin. In the event of a crash, seat belts are designed to hold the occupant in place. They also reduce the risk of the person meeting with a crash from colliding with the steering wheel, dashboard, or windshield. Wearing a seatbelt is not only mandatory for the driver, but also for the person sitting at the back. Reports suggest, that people died in road accidents last year seated at the back without wearing a seat belt, caused them serious injuries including cervical fractures. Around 45 per cent accidents in the world could have been avoided by the mere use of seatbelts, suggests reports.
POWER STEERING:
While cars like the Maruti 800 and the Premier Padmini did hit the high note in India, we have to admit they were pretty difficult to drive, especially in traffic. Moreover, it used to be a Tough task to park. But over the years, car technology has advanced and made the overall driving experience a lot easier. A lot of this can be attributed to the addition of power steering in all cars. The steering wheel now not only feels a lot lighter and easy to manoeuvre but is also more responsive to inputs.
AIRBAGS:These are quite literally, bags of air that inflate in milli-seconds in case of an accident. When your car collides with an object, the air bags become active and inflate. This provides cushioning to your body to prevent injuries. Though, the front airbags are standard, some manufacturers give additional airbags on the side for extra safety.
ELECTRIC ORVM: Talking about cars back in the day, most of them either didn't have ORVMs or were manually adjustable. And although we did make it a habit to adjust them before driving off, we have to admit it was indeed quite a pain to adjust it. One had to make several attempts before finally setting it as per your driving position. But now thanks to the electronically adjustable ORVMs the task is a lot simpler.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM:
Electronic stability control is designed to assist drivers in maintaining control of their vehicles during extreme steering maneuvers. Electronic stability control senses when a vehicle is starting to over or understeer and it automatically applies the brake to a single wheel. It is intended to reduce the occurrence of crashes. ESP is an option available mostly on high-end cars in our market, but it would be good to see it filter down into more mainstream models in the future.
Electronic stability control is designed to assist drivers in maintaining control of their vehicles during extreme steering maneuvers. Electronic stability control senses when a vehicle is starting to over or understeer and it automatically applies the brake to a single wheel. It is intended to reduce the occurrence of crashes. ESP is an option available mostly on high-end cars in our market, but it would be good to see it filter down into more mainstream models in the future.
REVERSE CAMERA WITH PARKING SENSORS:
The population of cars on the road has increased and how. Traffic is always on the rise and that also makes finding parking a task. You would often find a human ‘parking sensor’ trying to guide you into that tiny little space which was just enough to fit your car. Now, the same task is done by parking sensors or in some cases reversing cameras.
The population of cars on the road has increased and how. Traffic is always on the rise and that also makes finding parking a task. You would often find a human ‘parking sensor’ trying to guide you into that tiny little space which was just enough to fit your car. Now, the same task is done by parking sensors or in some cases reversing cameras.
ANTI LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM:
Barring budget Hatchbacks, most cars in India offer at least one variant which has this feature. This mechanism prevents the car’s wheels from ‘locking up’ during emergency braking. ABS helps the driver to change the car’s direction and steer away from harm even under hard braking. A car without this system could get its wheels locked up, which leaves the car open to uncontrolled skidding and the driver with no way out of the tricky situation. This feature is beneficial during wet driving conditions.
Barring budget Hatchbacks, most cars in India offer at least one variant which has this feature. This mechanism prevents the car’s wheels from ‘locking up’ during emergency braking. ABS helps the driver to change the car’s direction and steer away from harm even under hard braking. A car without this system could get its wheels locked up, which leaves the car open to uncontrolled skidding and the driver with no way out of the tricky situation. This feature is beneficial during wet driving conditions.
POWER WINDOWS & CENTRAL LOCKING:
You go out for a long drive with your family and each time you get in or out each of the doors have to be locked manually. Well, it didn't quite seem like a task in cars back more out of habit than anything else. But now with most cars being offered with a central locking system, it sure is a lot easier. Along with central locking, power windows deserve a special mention as well for obvious reasons. And had we been genius mathematicians we would have done some permutation combinations to enlighten you about the time saved since the introduction of both these features.
You go out for a long drive with your family and each time you get in or out each of the doors have to be locked manually. Well, it didn't quite seem like a task in cars back more out of habit than anything else. But now with most cars being offered with a central locking system, it sure is a lot easier. Along with central locking, power windows deserve a special mention as well for obvious reasons. And had we been genius mathematicians we would have done some permutation combinations to enlighten you about the time saved since the introduction of both these features.
ADJUSTABLE HEAD RESTRAINTS:
Headrest is actually a safety feature designed to protect the occupant from injuries during a rear impact collision. This helps in reducing the chance of neck and shoulder injuries. The restraints should be locked in place according to the height of the seated occupant. In case if it is not locked properly, the protection that the headrest offers against collision gets compromised.
Headrest is actually a safety feature designed to protect the occupant from injuries during a rear impact collision. This helps in reducing the chance of neck and shoulder injuries. The restraints should be locked in place according to the height of the seated occupant. In case if it is not locked properly, the protection that the headrest offers against collision gets compromised.
BLUETOOTH TELEPHONE:
With mobile phones getting cheaper by the day, staying connected to everyone is now a habit rather than a privilege. A healthy percentage of your ‘important calls’ are done while driving to work or back and with that in mind, Bluetooth connectivity in your car is among the top features that have made driving a lot easier. Needless to say it is also a lot safer than holding your phone with one hand and steering with the other.
REAR WIPER & DEFOGGER:
With mobile phones getting cheaper by the day, staying connected to everyone is now a habit rather than a privilege. A healthy percentage of your ‘important calls’ are done while driving to work or back and with that in mind, Bluetooth connectivity in your car is among the top features that have made driving a lot easier. Needless to say it is also a lot safer than holding your phone with one hand and steering with the other.
REAR WIPER & DEFOGGER:
This is a feature that may seem minor, but is vital. The rear windscreen can get just as fogged up and dirty as the front windscreen, especially during the monsoon; this can affect your rear visibility and pose a hazard. The defogger clears the mist off your window and the wiper cleans off the water and slush. Defoggers are now available on most cars, while wipers are usually available on hatchbacks and SUVs. If not the rear wiper, you must at least opt for a defogger.
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