Understanding various active safety technologies

You have certainly heard the term active safety. Active safety technologies, sometimes known as driver assistance systems, are increasingly present on modern vehicles and they may well help you avoid a collision even if you do not react to an imminent danger.

Thanks to a collection of sensors, radars and cameras, active safety technologies monitor other cars on the road and the behavior of your vehicle, and will intervene if you do not.

Several technologies exist such as adaptive cruise control, lane change monitoring, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic monitoring, automatic braking, and even pedestrian monitoring.

All work the same way. A radar or a camera detects a potentially dangerous obstacle. This could be a vehicle in front of you or a pedestrian. It could also be that your vehicle is swerving out of its lane, or a vehicle approaching perpendicularly when you’re backing out of your driveway.

The various cameras, radars and sensors detect the danger and notify you, usually with an audible or visual warning. If you do not react and the danger is still present, the car will apply the brakes for you and/or maintain the right direction.

Some more advanced systems such as the PRE-SAFE Sound technology from Mercedes-Benz, help you even after a collision. The PRE-SAFE Sound device is exclusive to Mercedes-Benz. It is a sound that is heard in the cockpit at the time of a collision to protect your ears. Some technologies are also able to send an emergency signal to emergency services for you after an accident.

As you can see, modern cars have never been safer!

Thank you to Mercedes-Benz Ottawa for their help with this article.