Safest car
Vehicles are much safer now. Five-star crash test ratings are extremely common, but of course there are ways that cars could be even safer. CNN reports that Mercedes-Benz has come up with a concept car the Mercedes-Benz ESF that is supposedly the safest car that could become a norm in the near future. The ESF has several ideas of how cars can be safer.
The first idea is a “braking bag” under the car. There are sensors under the car and when the sensors detect that a crash is about to happen, the bag inflates which pushes a metal plate down onto the road to slow the car and help reduce impact. Sounds good to me.
Another safety idea is an air bag inside the a metal beam in the car door. If there is side impact, the air bag will inflate pushing the beam outward to help take the impact. Another good thought.
Lights that will use infrared night vision to detect people or animals in the road and then shine lights directly on them to try to prevent a crash/accident. Good idea but seems like a stretch.
During a side impact, the outside seat bolster will push the driver or passenger inward, away from the door. The last future safety idea that is a part of the Mercedes-Benz ESF is the belt bag. These are air bags within the seat belts that will help prevent injuries. Ford Motor Co. will be using the belt bag is all of their 2011 Ford Explorer and Mercedes-Benz expects that it will have the belt bags on its cars within 5 years.
Isn’t it amazing the technology that just keeps improving for vehicles? It’s crazy. Every time you buy a car, there will be some big technological improvement within a year, and to have safety technology improved is great!