If you drive many miles to work every day or if you are the family chauffeur, safety is probably on your mind. How can you determine when your current ride is past its prime in terms of safety? Here are some devices that could save your life.
1.Six Airbag Minimum
Let’s start with the basics. If your airbag count is less than six, your car or truck is very old and needs updating. End of story.
You don’t even have to look for new cars. There are many cheap used cars with six airbags or more. There are fairly recent models with seven, eight and even ten airbags. Why run a risk when you can improve your odds of surviving a wreck?
- Rearview Camera
Backing up isn’t easy. It is especially hard without a rearview camera. You can upgrade to a car that is five years old and probably find this helpful device. It can keep you out of minor scrapes and prevent fender benders in parking lots.
- Other Parking Assistance
Although not available on every used car, there are many other parking assistance systems. The most common is the rear side traffic alert which lets you know if a car is approaching when you are backing out of a parking space or driveway.
Higher trim levels often have a 360-degree camera system and/or automated parking help. Some have side mirrors that will turn down to show the curb when you back up.
- Lane Warning
While you may not be ready for true lane assistance, there’s a lot to be said for a car with a lane warning device. This alerts you if the tires are turning out of the marked lane. This smart idea helps reduce the number of sideswipe accidents.
- Blind Spot Warning
The blind spot warning lets you know that there is a neighboring car too close for you to see in your side mirrors. The icon lights up in the mirror to tell you not to change lanes until it’s safe. This is another way that getting a new car can actually make driving safer.
- Forward Collision Warning
The newest cars tend to link the forward collision warning to an automatic braking system. However, it works well even when you don’t have that. As soon as the car recognizes that there are brake lights ahead, it warns you to slow down or stop. This makes it far less likely that you would rear end the car in front of you.
- Road Departure Warning
Not widely available on other brands, the typical used Honda will have a road departure warning. This handy system detects if your wheels go off the pavement. It can even help you steer back to the safety of the road.
- Integrated Phone System
While not strictly a safety device, it is safer if your phone is integrated into the car system. Then you can use commands to answer the phone or even to dictate a text. The goal is to keep your eyes on the road, and that’s important with so many distracted drivers looking at their phones.
While you may not be able to get everything on this list, you can expect to find much of it on five-year-old used cars. That means you can upgrade your old ride to a safer one without the big expense of a new car. It’s a smart thing to do for yourself and your family.
