1972 was the deadliest year in the automotive history
in U.S. with 54,589 driving-related fatalities.
We cannot say only seatbelt saves life, here we highlight the most important automotive safety technologies and the way it helps to protects passengers.
1. Seat Belts
There's no question that three-point seat belts strap over the shoulder and across the lap save more lives than any other automotive safety device.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (
NHTSA) report says that
16,401 lives would be saved in 2009 if they had worn
seat belts properly.
Mercedes has launched a seat belt concept which immediately tights the belt against the body during crash.
2. Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Sources from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) say that ESC helps in reducing the risk of fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by
32 percent and fatal vehicle crashes by
56 percent.
Nowadays
ESC comes standard on many vehicles and with the 2012 models it has become the
mandatory requirement on all passenger vehicles.
Sensors in ESC help in detecting the path of the vehicle and in
preventing wheel spin.
3. Airbags
Airbags gets
installed with inert gas in milliseconds which plays a vital role in protecting passengers during crashes.
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| Front Airbags in Cars |
NHTSA reports say that every year air bags are
saving more than 30,000 lives. Front airbags reduce driver fatalities by
29 percent and fatalities of front-seat passengers over 12 by
32 percent.
NHTSA mandated that advanced
airbags must be equipped in all vehicles from September 2012.
4. Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Anti lock brakes
does not play a vital role when talking about safety, but this does one step closer with what you can do with an ESC.
2009
NHTSA report says that
ABS helps in reducing the crash rate whereas it does not have any effect on the risk of fatalities.