Safety is No Accident

There is no doubt that today’s cars are the safest and most technologically advanced vehicles ever built. For some folks, however, the latest technologies that are designed to keep us safe or make driving easier can be a bit intimidating. In this brief article we’ll touch on some of the latest, wiz bang safety features on our current model vehicles and try to explain what they do, and why you should want them in your car.

Safety Systems

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (a.k.a. The end to parking lot accidents) – Uses radar sensors in the rear bumpers to detect traffic and objects approaching from either side while backing up.
• 360 Vehicle Camera Options (a.k.a. Back in a trailer / Parallel park like a boss) – Using tiny cameras strategically placed in the bumpers, mirrors, tailgate, etc. this amazing technology can actually provide you with a bird’s eye perspective of your vehicle in real time and in color. Camera viewing options include: wide angle, fish eye or ‘disappearing trailer’ with some optional equipment.
• Adaptive Cruise Control (a.k.a. Stress relief for I-35 traffic) – Radar is not just a well-loved character on M*A*S*H – Radar is used to measure and maintain the selected distance between you and the vehicle immediately in front of you when this option is activated.
• Forward Collision Alert / Forward Automatic Braking / Front Pedestrian Braking (a.k.a. Life Happens) - Even the most careful drivers can have an emergency braking situation thrust upon them. These systems use front facing sensors to detect, warn and then help avoid frontal crashes by applying the brakes quicker than a hiccup!
• Teen Driver Technology (a.k.a. Protect your Teens from themselves!) - We were all young once and if we remember correctly, we all made some pretty dumb behind the wheel decisions. T.D.T. allows parents to set vehicle operational limits and provides a handy score card for their young drivers to help coach them up. Available features include: Speed warnings above a pre-selected speed, top end speed limits, audio volume limiter & a seat belt audio mute option until both the driver and front seat passenger are both buckled up. Couple these with the industry first Buckle-to-Drive feature and your kids are well on their way to years of safer driving.

These are just a few of the amazing new features from GM that are designed to keep you safely on the road and free from trouble. To explore even more impressive safety tech please visit Chevy's safety site for more information. Next time we’ll explore convenience and comfort features that you didn’t know you needed (until now!).

Miles of Smiles,

Mike Hewlett