 New safety technology is often a standout feature consumers consider when they're looking for a new vehicle. But many of these features are still not made standard equipment on all vehicles -- despite the fact that they can save lives and prevent injuries.
Safety tech also varies brand to brand -- even similar technologies will have a different name depending on the automaker you're looking at -- so it's up to the drivers to figure out what all these features actually do, and which ones they want in their vehicle.
With that in mind, here are five increasingly common safety technologies that can help you avoid a crash.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Transport Canada actually made ESC -- which prevents cars from sliding out of control, even on snow, by applying the brakes momentarily to individual wheels and/or reducing engine power -- mandatory on all new vehicles since September 2011.
Transport Canada estimated that if ESC had been made standard in 2006, it could have prevented 225 deaths and 755 serious injuries that year alone.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Rear-end crashes are the most commonly-reported collision in North America. Collision-avoidance systems actually prevent about 50 per cent of these accidents. Even in instances where AEB failed to prevent a crash, it reduced the severity enough to minimize the number of injuries by half.
Foward-collision warning watches the road ahead -- with cameras and radar -- looking for vehicles, people, and even large animals. If the system detects a potential accident, it warns the driver with lights and alarms to take action. In some cases, the system will even prepare the brakes and steering for an evasive manoeuvre.
AEB takes it one step further -- if the driver doesn't take action upon warning, the car will automatically brake. Some newer systems, like next year's Lexus LS, will even try to steer around an obstacle if there's space to do so.
While AEB isn't standard, it can now be found as an option on most mainstream vehicles. Most automakers who sell vehicles in North America have also agreed to make AEB standard on all-new passenger vehicles by September 2022.
Lane-departure Warning and Prevention
Lane-departure warning will only alert the driver if the car is drifting out of its lane. On the other hand. lane-departure prevention or assist will try to steer a vehicle back into its lane.
Quality and capability, of course, varies from car to car, and the tech is frequently turned off by drivers for beeping too often, so a test drive is necessary if you're considering it as an option.
Blind-spot Warning
Using radar, blind-spot warning can allow your car to "see" vehicles you may not be able to using just your mirrors. If there is actually a car in your blind spot, the technology will warn you with a light inside or near your side mirrors. Some systems will also vibrate the steering wheel if you attempt to change lanes while there is a car in your blind spot.
It's an inexpensive feature compared to other safety add-ons, and more than worthwhile: blind-spot warning systems have reduced lane-change crashes by 14 per cent.
Front/Rear Cross-traffic Alert
If you're backing out of a parking space, for example, these systems will alert you if there's a vehicle approaching from the side. Some systems are used exclusively when backing up, while others are specific to crossing intersections; some will automatically brake, others will just send a warning.
Drivers are also more likely to leave these systems turned on because they're less annoying than lane-departure safety systems.
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