Top safety features in family cars
Vehicle safety has come a long way over the years, making new models safer than ever. As a result of engineering breakthroughs and intensive research, drivers, passengers and even pedestrians now have greater protection. Here are five key developments:
1. Blind-spot monitoring
This alerts you if you try to change lanes or turn with a vehicle in your blind spot. It’s especially helpful when you have child seats in the back that can obscure your vision. Among the many vehicles that have blind-spot monitoring as standard, the BMW iX1 is particularly effective. The side mirrors have warning lights that illuminate when a vehicle is in your blind spot and a warning sounds if you try to change lanes.
2. Child presence alert
A reminder appears on the driver’s display screen to check the rear seats when you turn off the engine. Some systems also beep as you walk away from the car if they detect a child or pet inside. The new Nissan X-TRAIL has child presence alert as standard on all model variants.
3. Intelligent seatbelt reminder
The driver gets audible and visual alerts when a passenger removes their seatbelt while the car ignition is on. While some seven- and eight-seaters lack seatbelt sensors for the third row, where it is hardest to tell if a child has undone their belt, the latest Nissan Pathfinder has intelligent seatbelt reminders for all three rows.
4. Safe exit assist
It’s great for when the kids try to open a rear door while a vehicle is approaching. Some systems can detect bicycles, too. If it senses another road user approaching, the car automatically keeps the door locked and sounds an alarm or shows a warning message on the driver’s display screen. One family car that does this well is the Hyundai Santa Fe. The system is standard on vehicles built after November 2020.
5. Rear cross traffic alert
It sounds a warning or vibrates your seat or steering wheel and flashes in your rear camera when you are reversing and a vehicle (or in some cases bicycle or pedestrian) is approaching. The rear-view camera on the Volvo C40 Recharge has a slightly obstructed image so the rear cross traffic alert (RCTA) sounds an alarm and a red visual lights up on the rear-view camera from the direction of the obstacle.
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