Automotive safety is always improving. Manufacturers were required to equip all cars and trucks with seatbelts in 1968, airbags became mandatory in 1999 and backup cameras have been required since 2018. The newest vehicle safety features are much more advanced — aimed at preventing accidents in addition to keeping occupants safe in a crash.

Most of the new safety features are part of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which are based on technology designed for collision avoidance. As is typical in the auto world, many of these features appear first on expensive vehicles and over time make their way into more affordable ones. Here are some of the latest ADAS and related safety features on the market:

• 360-degree or overhead vision — Several new vehicles now include cameras that offer a bird’s eye view of a vehicle and what’s around it. They use an overhead camera to show 3D image of the vehicle’s surroundings, giving the driver more visibility for parking and off-roading.
• Intersection-scanning AEB — Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) has been around for a few years, but the newest systems do more than apply the brakes if the driver doesn’t. Intersection-scanning AEB detects vehicles approaching from multiple directions and alerts the driver to help avoid a collision.
• Adaptive cruise control (ACC) — Adaptive cruise control uses cameras and radar to automatically adjust the vehicle’s set cruising speed to keep it a safe distance from other vehicles. Some of the newest ACC systems can bring a car to a complete stop in traffic and then restart again.
• Night vision — Now available in certain luxury vehicles, night vision uses a forward-facing thermographic camera to spot people, animals and other objects that a human might not be able to see easily in the dark. Some systems also give an auditory or visual alert to the driver when something close by is detected.
• Lane-keep assist and lane departure warning — Both of these systems help drivers stay in their lanes of traffic. Lane-keep assist automatically initiates a slight brake or steering adjustment to prevent a car from drifting into another lane. Lane departure warnings include seat vibrations or beeping noises designed to get drivers’ attention so they can correct their course.
• Blind spot monitoring — These systems use ultrasonic radar or sensors in car bumpers, often teamed with side-mounted cameras. They keep track of cars approaching from behind and give drivers a signal that a vehicle may be in their blind spot.

While safety features continue to improve, driving is, at least for now, a human activity, which means accidents will happen. If you are injured in a crash, make sure you contact a qualified auto accident lawyer who can help you get fair compensation.

At Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. in Hamden and East Haven, our attorneys have decades of experience helping car accident victims in Connecticut. If you have been injured in a crash, call us at 203-745-0942 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.