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Continued improvements in vehicle design and the incorporation of new technologies have increased the level of protection for occupants and other road users when vehicles are involved in crashes. Improvements include better side impact protection, frontal crash protection, padded head areas, seatbelt interlocks, intelligent air bags and pedestrian protection.

There is no doubt that improved design and technology makes vehicles safer. The risk of death or serious injury of drivers involved in a tow-away crash in cars sold over the last few years is less than half the figure for those built in the early 1970s. The European Transport Safety Council even estimates that, if overnight, every motorist moved into the safest vehicle in the same class as their current vehicle that road trauma could reduce by up to 50 percent.

Some of the new and evolving safety features include the following:

Airbags
Airbags are a Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) and work in conjunction with the seat belt to provide a barrier that can reduce the severity of head injuries sustained in a crash. The location of airbags may vary from car to car, but generally they can be located in the steering wheel, in the dashboard above the glove compartment and in the side door panels or seats.

Airbags are triggered to deploy during strong impact by sensors that detect sudden vehicle deceleration. The airbags fill within milliseconds - faster than the eye can blink. Once inflated, they then deflate quickly by allowing the filler gas to escape through vent holes and the weave of the fabric. The energy of the occupant is absorbed while deflation occurs.
If the car has an airbag it is important to read the owner's manual to understand how the vehicle's airbag system works. In particular how to position the steering wheel (if it can be adjusted) so the airbag will deploy towards your chest and not your head.


Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
ESC is an advanced safety feature designed to automatically apply the brakes to selected wheels if your car drives from its intended path. This ensures the vehicle continues safely in the intended direction. All Australian manufactured cars and a large percentage of imported cars now have ESC fitted as standard.

The Australian Government has recently announced that ESC will be mandated through Australian Design Rules for completely new passenger cars, passenger vans and off-road vehicles from November 2011 and for all new and existing passenger cars, passenger vans and off-road vehicles sold from November 2013.

Depending on the manufacturer, ESC can also be known as:

• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
• Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
• Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).

Antilock Braking System (ABS)
ABS enhances safety by helping to prevent the wheels from locking under braking, as locked wheels can cause your car to lose control. When the front wheels slide, the driver loses steering control over the vehicle. Traction loss at the rear wheels can cause the rear end to break into an uncontrolled skid. ABS can achieve the shortest braking distances possible under most conditions and is designed to meet two essential requirements during every brake application:

• to help provide vehicle stability
• to help retain steering and manoeuvring capability on all types of road (straight-away, curves, asphalt, cement, dirt, wet, snow and ice).

If you are in a situation which requires full braking, you will exploit the full benefits of the ABS system if you apply maximum brake pressure ‘panic stop'. Since the vehicle maintains steering responsiveness, you can avoid possible obstacles with a minimum of steering effort, despite the full brake application.

The ABS system activates in fractions of a second. A pulsation at the brake pedal indicates to the driver that ABS is active, that is, that the vehicle is within its maximum braking range. In addition, the audible pulsation that accompanies ABS operation calls the attention of the driver to the reduced traction between the tyres and the road surface and serves as a reminder that the speed of the car should be reduced to adapt to road conditions.

On road surfaces that have a loose layer on a firm base (gravel or snow, for instance), the braking distances with ABS may be longer than with the wheels locked. The same applies when snow chains have been mounted. However, ABS continues to provide enhanced vehicle stability and steering response under these conditions.

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