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 Con
Cuidado!
The
bottom line on standard vehicle
safety features
According to the 2004
Female Buyer study conducted by
Road and Travel Magazine, safety,
dependability, and functionality
rank as the top priorities among
female car buyers. Women also
purchase 52 percent of new cars
and influence 85 percent of car
buying decisions in a household.
Latinas appreciate good bargains
but also hit for the buck. Many
manufacturers offer a wide
variety of optional safety
features but the vehicle that
comes loaded with state-of-the-art
safety equipment, will curry the
most favor.
As competition in the auto
industry continues to intensify,
manufacturers look to safety
features to gain an edge. The
following technologies add
genuine value and security to
any vehicle.
Tire Pressure Monitor
No one wants to be on the road
when a blowout occurs. The best
approach for avoiding a flat is
proper tire care but tire flaws
and damage can occur between
scheduled maintenance checks. To
address traffic fatalities
attributed to faulty tires, the
federal government passed the
Transportation Recall
Enhancement Accountability and
Documentation (TREAD) Act. The
legislation, passed in 2000,
requires all 2008 models built
after August 31, 2007, to have a
Tire Pressure Monitor. The
technology provides sensors in
each wheel that directly measure
the pressure in each tire. When
the pressure drops to 25 percent
below the recommended pressure,
a warning symbol, usually
located in the instrument panel,
will illuminate. Most systems do
not indicate which tire is low,
however, so it’s important to
carry a tire gauge in the car to
avoid having to fill each tire
until the light disappears.
Electronic Stability
Control
One of the most important pieces
of technology for avoiding a
collision is Electronic
Stability Control (ESC). The
system, known by an assortment
of names depending on the
manufacturer, utilizes sensors
to gauge when a vehicle begins
to veer from a projected path,
i.e. wheel slippage. ESC engages
the brakes and manipulates the
throttle intuitively, usually,
without the driver sensing it,
to correct the situation. High-end
brands like Lexus and Mercedes-Benz
will automatically provide this
feature but more mid-range
models, particularly crossover
sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
like the Ford Edge (equipped
with AdvanceTrac) or Hyundai
Veracruz (equipped with the
Electronic Stability Program)
come with the technology as well
as Roll Stability Control.
Side Curtain Airbags
In the event of a collision or
rollover, the best protection
for all passengers is side
curtain airbags. When deployed,
the curtains deploy in front of
the windows to protect
passengers from head injuries.
In family vehicles, airbags are
considered essential and on the
newly redesigned 2008 Dodge
Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town
and Country, side curtains are
standard. Volvo, however, takes
the technology further by
designing side airbags that can
deploy in a convertible,
specifically the C70. Side
curtain airbags in the C70
deploy from the door and inflate
up.
Anti-lock Braking
System
Although not federally required,
most vehicles now come equipped
with the anti-lock braking
system (ABS). Without ABS, car
wheels tend to lock in hard
braking situations, which allows
the vehicle to continue moving
forward or worse, to skid, many
times exacerbating the collision.
With ABS, brakes are applied in
a pulsing manner so that tires
don’t lock and stopping is more
controllable. ABS is usually
accompanied by additional
technology like Brake Assist,
which adds more brake pressure
to assist the driver when an
immediate stop is necessary and
Electronic Brake-force
Distribution. The recently
redesigned 2008 Scion xB, an
entry-level brand introduced by
Toyota to appeal to younger
buyers, comes equipped with this
technology.
Rear parking sensor
Vehicles backing up kill more
than 100 people, mostly children,
and injure 6,000 yearly,
according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. Rear parking
sensors that notify drivers with
a chime or alarm when an object,
stationary or moving, is
detected when in reverse, offer
a simple solution. Trucks and
SUVs present the biggest risk
because of their obstructed rear
view. Not all trucks and SUVs
come equipped with the sensor,
but many offer it as an option.
Some higher-end brands, like the
Infiniti QX56, not only include
a sensor but reverse parking
camera or RearView Monitor.
Ideally, these technologies
should be standard equipment on
every vehicle but until they all
follow in the path of air bags
and tire pressure monitors,
which are federally required,
they’re still worth the added
investment.
By Valerie Menard
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