Safety systems for cars

Forget about installing that little smartbox in your car to help lower your insurance claim, the technology in the driving world has moved on, and is developing systems that can help minimise and possibly prevent the occurrence of crashes.

The intelligent transport systems being developed by universities, as well as the government, are being labelled by some as a big brother approach to monitoring drivers, but by allowing vehicle-to-vehicle communication it ensures you’re much more aware of your surroundings than by human sight alone.

Take the scenario, if you will, of approaching your local cross section on your way to work, driving within the speed limit and heading towards a green light. What you might not notice is a car coming from the left of the cross section that is about to ignore a red light. With this new safety system in place a large red warning light would start flashing on your dash and a siren sound, alerting you to brake in time to avoid being blind-sided by the other driver, and potentially seriously injuring yourself and any passengers.

Although Dan Akerson – the CEO of General Motors (GM) – has recently signed a deal with AT&T to install 4G LTE capability into their cars, should owners opt for it, the implementation of the intelligent safety systems still seems a long way off, meaning that – for now – it is unlikely that the road traffic accident level in congested areas will decrease.

The only way you can ensure you aren’t involved in road traffic accidents is to drive sensibly and safely, although you still run the risk of encountering drivers that don’t share your sensibilities. Should you be involved in a crash there are things you can do to make the resulting process easier. First of all you should call 999 and alert the police of the matter, and then if possible you will need to obtain the other drivers insurance information. Taking the contact details of any eye witnesses is also useful – these will come in handy should the matter go to court.

If able to, taking pictures of the damage and noting down the make and models of the vehicles involved will help your insurance agency. If you’re experiencing any chronic pain or unusual aches and pains visit your GP and get yourself checked out informing them that you’ve recently been in a road accident. Contact your insurer as soon as possible with this information as failure to do so could result in voiding your cover.