Planning on upgrading your family car? Ensure your choice comes with these essential safety features that provide advanced protection for all passengers in the event of a collision.
- Advanced airbags
Airbags used to be exclusively for the front passengers, protecting the upper body to reduce the likelihood of head and upper-body injuries in head-on crashes. The latest cars come with a more advanced system. The same principle is applied, but there are more airbags installed within the car for superior protection in the event of any accident.
Knee airbags opposite the front seats provide leg protection and help to lock the lower body in place, preventing the driver and front passenger sliding during collisions. Curtain airbags are positioned to the side of the front and rear seats, safeguarding passengers against head, neck and torso injuries in the event of side impact, whether from a direct crash or if the vehicle rolls over.
- Driver alert systems
Up to 25% of motorway accidents are caused by overtired drivers, and these accidents tend to be serious as the driver’s reaction times are slow. Driver alert systems warn you when it’s time to take a break, ahead of you reaching the point of tiredness, keeping you honest with regular breaks during long journeys. These types of driving monitoring systems have been a requirement for all new vehicles since 2022.
Other alert systems useful for family driving include lane keep assist and lane departure warning. When noisy or wriggling children cause distractions, it’s easy to stray into the wrong part of the road, but these fast-acting alerts help you stay on the straight and narrow – literally! Having these systems could potentially reduce car insurance premiums because they lower the risk of serious accidents.
- ISOFIX anchors
Travelling with young children? Look for models with an ISOFIX anchorage system. Child restraint systems like booster seats can be fitted to the system for a more secure hold in the event of a collision, eliminating the need for work-around measures like using rear seatbelts to hold the seats in place.
In an ISOFIX set-up, the child seat straps are tethered to the back of the rear vehicle seat, preventing forward movement, while the base sits on metal bars built into the car’s skeleton. As child car seats are a legal requirement until they’re 12 years old or 135cm tall (whichever comes first), this feature will enhance driving safety for their entire childhood from baby to teenager.
- Pedestrian protection
Cars are also being designed with features to protect pedestrians and other road users as well as passengers. This minimises injury risk should you collide with anyone. Family cars in particular score highly in this area, and all new models are required to put emphasis on protecting vulnerable road users to meet the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR2).
Examples of these safety features include deformable bumpers, designed to bend or crush on impact to absorb kinetic energy and reduce the impact force, and pop-up bonnets which create a cushioning space between hood and engine.
