Purchasing a vehicle is an expensive decision, and not as simple as picking the first one you like. Of course you want a stylish and pleasant ride, but choosing a car is more than just aesthetics. You want to make sure that when you start shopping for a vehicle, you take a good look at the safety ratings and features that could save your life in the event of a collision.
When shopping for a new car, keep these 5 things in mind:
- Size
Driving a smaller car is more fuel efficient, and easier if you live in a big city, but it also decreases your level of safety while driving. In the case of safety, a bigger vehicle is a safer vehcile. According to the IISS, minivans are actually the safest car when it comes to collision fatality rate, followed closely by pickup trucks.
- Adaptive cruise control(ACC)
Cruise control isn’t a new feature when it comes to automobile safety, but it is more suitable for drives where there are fewer drivers on the road. With adaptive cruise control, you can select your following distance for the car ahead of you. If the vehicle in front of you slows, the ACC will automatically adjust the speed of your car.
- 360 degree camera
A rearview camera is virtually a given in all new vehicle models, but a 360 camera is a really amazing addition to this kind of technology. This kind of monitoring helps with difficult parking, heavy traffic, and navigating through tight spaces.
- Blind spot detection
All vehicles have blind spots, and even if you line up your mirrors properly, there will always be areas that you can’t see. Blind spot detection technology alerts you when there is an object outside of your line of vision. Most of the time, the alert will show up on your side mirror, or make a sound.
- Automatic emergency braking (AEB)
We all know that accidents happen in a split second, and our reflexes don’t always work fast enough. With AEB, your vehicle can actually detect when a crash is imminent, and will apply your brakes if you fail to do so yourself. This feature could actually provide you with a discount on your automobile insurance. Check with your provider to see if you’ll receive a better price with this feature, or compare your policy to others on the market to find a rate that will reward you for this feature.
- Tire pressure monitoring system
Tire pressure monitoring systems are one of the most important safety features to look for when shopping for a new vehicle. There are countless accidents that occur every year because of tires that are over or under inflated. Many drivers don’t regularly check their vehicle’s tire pressure and it’s impossible to tell just by looking at a tire if there’s a slow leak.
