Color, price, body style, gas mileage – there’s a lot to consider when picking out a vehicle for your daily commute or weekend road trips. One area not to overlook? Safety features.
With more advanced technology than ever, today’s cars are helping to keep us safe. Here’s how:
- Electronic stability control: Helps detect and reduce loss of traction. Now standard on 2012 cars and newer.
- Forward collision warning: Alerts you if you’re about to collide with something ahead.
- Automatic emergency braking: Slows or stops your car when forward sensors detect an impending collision.
- Backup camera: Provides visibility behind your car when you are in reverse. These are especially useful for less-than-perfect parallel parkers.
- Lane-departure warning: Sounds an alarm if you start drifting out of your lane.
- Blind-spot detection: Senses when another vehicle or object is in your blind spot on the driver or passenger side, triggering a light or other alarm.
- Adaptive headlights: Shift to provide better visibility as you make turns or go around curves.
As impressive as these features are, keep in mind they’re not a substitute for all of the things you need to do as a responsible driver, such as staying alert, driving at the right speed, and routine maintenance. But, they can help make our commutes and journeys safer, and they may even help you save on your car insurance. To check the safety rating of a car you’re considering, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you are looking to rent, rather than buy, avoid renting trucks, open-bed vehicles, exotic cars, large vans, or full-size SUVs. Many rental car insurance policies of major credit card companies will not cover those or many other caveats, reveals a recent CardHub survey. Additionally, they found that about 40% of cards only cover domestic rentals for up to 15 days; more than 60% of policies don’t cover rim or tire damage; and drivers have a 6% chance of being penalized for driving on dirt or gravel roads. No matter how you get your next car, give us a call to update your coverage.
