Safety Features Proven to Prevent Fatalities and Car Accidents
Driving is an everyday thing for most people. You get into your car, start it up, put on your seatbelt, and go from there. No one ever wakes up thinking that they’re going to get in a car accident, but unfortunately, collisions happen every day. Auto-related accidents are one of the leading causes of high numbers of fatalities in the U.S. In some cases, some people do come out of an accident untouched and in good condition. Sometimes, life-threatening injuries are prevented all with the help of specific safety devices. In this read, we discuss how some safety devices were able to prevent death and serious injuries during accidents on the road.
Seatbelts
The number of deaths has gone down steadily due to more seatbelt usage. From those who must wear their seatbelts, of five years and older, 14,955 lives alone were saved by the use of seatbelts in 2017. In fatal accidents, 83% of passengers that did not have their seatbelts on and were ejected were instantly killed in the same year. It doesn’t become any clearer regarding why wearing a seatbelt is a law. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when seat belts are used, the risk of a front seat passenger suffering from fatal injuries decreased by 45% and the risks of moderate to critical injuries goes down by 50%. For truck occupants, the risks are reduced respectively by 60% and 65%.
Airbags
Airbags are designed to detect moderate to severe car accidents so that they can be ejected immediately. Since 1999, it has become a requirement for all vehicle makes to have airbags installed for frontal protection for both drivers and passengers. The NHTSA reported that frontal airbags were the cause of 2,790 lives that were saved in vehicle accidents, ranging from thirteen years and up. Airbags and seatbelts, when both are used, are found to be the most effective form of safety protection for passengers. When no seatbelt is used, airbags reduce the risk of injuries by 14% and by 11% when seat belts are used.
Car Seats for Children
The NHTSA has also done some research on juvenile passengers. The NHTSA reported that approximately 325 lives of children that were under the age of five were saved with the help of restraints from car seats. As of 2017, child restraint laws do differ from state to state. Nonetheless, since 1985, all 50 states require some sort of child restraint laws to be in effect.
Motorcycle Helmets
Motorcycle accidents are infamous when it comes to auto-related fatalities. The NHTSA says that approximately 1,900 lives on average can be saved when it comes to wearing a motorcycle helmet. An additional 800 lives could have been saved in 2017 alone if a helmet was worn.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Electronic stability control is a fairly new feature that cars have had implemented to further prevent auto-related fatalities. Since 2012, the NHTSA has required all vehicles made after the respective year to have some sort of stability control. This means that all passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, and vans must meet this requirement. This system is designed to prevent rollovers and other forms of accidents by detecting the control of brakes and engine power.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Cruise control, in and of itself, is a neat and convenient feature. In addition to its convenient nature, it has helped prevent accidents. Adaptive cruise control is a smarter and more precautious form of cruise control. The speed of your vehicle will automatically change based on traffic and the speed of the cars that you may be approaching that way the driver doesn’t fail to react accordingly as the vehicle will automatically do so.
Emergency Brake Assist
Similar to the case of cruise control, drivers may fail to push on the brakes hard enough, especially in an emergency. Emergency brake assists have been created to help drivers immediately apply the maximum amount of resistance and traction to prevent crashing or to reduce the damage when colliding into another vehicle.
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Javier Martinez, Jr., P.C. is dedicated to helping you if you or your loved one has suffered a personal injury, car accident-related or not. Contact us today to learn more about how you can get started with us to work on your case.
