How Your Vehicle’s Tech Can Lower Your Insurance Rates
The architecture and operation of automobiles have significantly evolved from what they once were. Present-day vehicles bear little resemblance to their predecessors. The most notable distinction between the vehicles from the past and those of the contemporary era? Safety enhancements.
Almost everything manufactured and produced today is a smart vehicle. Cars now come standard with a whole host of features and warning systems meant to keep you and other drivers safe. But these features also help lower extra costs, like car insurance.
Smarter Cars
Smart technology is everywhere. It’s not just smart home technology anymore. These advancements in technology are being introduced everywhere — even in our cars.
Cars are, in fact, getting smarter. Almost every year, car manufacturers create new devices and systems that keep drivers and passengers safer. The best part is most of these features are simply added on to cars. They come standard in even the most basic model, and can help prevent injury and car theft.
Every one of these systems works to minimize human error and keep the roadways safer for everyone. But have you ever stopped to think about just how many smart safety features there are in just one vehicle?
Lane Departure Warnings
One modern technological feature found on modern cars is lane departure warnings. These warnings often flash on the driver’s dashboard and side mirrors. They let drivers know when the car drifts into other lanes.
These warnings are most helpful for drowsy, tired drivers but have implications for all drivers. This kind of warning has saved many drivers from accidents. When a lane departure warning flashes, a driver knows they are encroaching on other lanes and their vehicle should be corrected.
Tire Pressure Monitoring
Low tire pressure can lead to serious accidents. If tire pressure is too low, tires can weaken and pop or even blow out completely. Any kind of flat tire leaves drivers and passengers open for dangerous accidents both in the car and while changing the tire.
Modern cars now use technology that detects low tire pressure. Tire pressure monitoring helps drivers and car owners ensure the longevity of their tires, but it also helps protect against flat tires and the danger that can follow. Tech like this can change the tire industry for the better.
Back-Up Cameras
Back-up cameras are another modern feature that has helped improve driver and passenger safety. These cameras allow a driver to see almost every inch of the road behind them. Drivers can see any potential issues or dangers before pulling out into traffic.
Traction Control
Traction control is helpful when drivers are accelerating too quickly for the road conditions. Traction control can sense when drivers are going too fast or using too much torque and can intervene.
Depending on the situation, the traction control system can shut off the throttle, cut fuel to one or more cylinders, or apply brakes as needed. The intervention of traction control helps vehicles maintain traction and stay on the road.
Brake Assist
Similar to traction control, brake assist helps drivers slow down or stop quickly. Vehicles can sense when a driver is making a quick and forceful stop. Without brake assist, these types of stops can be dangerous, but brake-assist technology helps negate a lot of this risk.
If a driver is attempting to stop quickly, brake assist will take over and ensure the right amount of pressure and force is applied to the brake. This minimizes the potential for a driver losing control of their vehicle.
Some car manufacturers take brake assist a step further. In cars like Volvo, brake assist technology includes front sensors that monitor the cars in front of the driver. These sensors allow the car to react to the flow of traffic directly in front of it.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Adaptive cruise control takes the monitoring and reaction functions of brake assist and applies them to driving itself. Vehicles with adaptive cruise control can monitor the speed of traffic and adapt accordingly.
If a vehicle is set at 70 miles per hour but the car in front begins to slow down, adaptive cruise control will sense that change and lower the cruise control setting. Once a driver changes lanes or picks up speed, the cruise control will resume its set speed.
Blind-Spot Monitoring
For all the windows and space in vehicles, there are areas around the car that a driver cannot easily see. These blind spots present serious dangers. If a car is hidden in a driver’s blind spot, then a simple change of lane can lead to an accident.
Blind-spot monitoring helps drivers “see” their blind spots. Vehicles now have sensors that tell a driver when another car is approaching or traveling in their blind spot. This minimizes the potential for accidents and injury.
High Tech and Lower Insurance Rates
Much like improving digital literacy, modern technology is working to improve driver literacy. These and other advancements are helping to lower human, or driver, error and make roads safer.
Insurance companies have taken notice of these high-tech functions and are paying it forward to drivers. Cars that have more of these high-tech safety features can and do have lower insurance rates. This can help drivers who otherwise would need to find bad driving record insurance.
Features such as blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warnings reduce the potential risk of driving. With lower risk, insurance companies can lower insurance rates without cutting coverage. Investing in cars with high-end safety features pays off in more ways than one.
Laura Gunn writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, BuyAutoInsurance.com. Laura has driven many cars and understands the advantage of smart safety features. She is passionate about all car owners understanding how these features can save them money and lives.