Before buying any vehicle, you need to ensure that it has all the standard safety features that will keep you and your passengers safe should there be any accidents on the road. As a driver, you need to be ready for any eventuality, as even the most road-safety knowledgeable chap can find himself in a bind. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’re behind the wheel with your loved ones as your passengers.
If you’re buying a new model, everything should come with the unit; however, if you’re buying a preowned vehicle, you need to do your due diligence because you need to ask a professional to extensively look into the car to ensure that everything works properly. Although most used car lots would certify the road safety of their vehicles, you should also ask a third party to look into the car.
You need to work with a reputable shop to look into the details to ensure that your vehicle would keep you and your family as safe as possible on the road. You must look for an RAC approved garage that will provide extensive maintenance and repair services should they find anything wrong with your vehicle. Their vast experience will surely bring out the best performance from your car.
Here are the safety features you should insist on having with your vehicles.
Seatbelts
Usually, one of the more glossed-over features is the seatbelts. You need to ensure that the seatbelts work and keep you correctly tethered to your seat. Whenever you check out a car, always try on the seatbelts to determine whether they’re functional and you would be comfortable with the width and the fit. Avoid buying a vehicle that doesn’t have any functioning seatbelt mechanism.
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
Another feature that you should look into is the presence of LATCH or lower anchors and tethers for children. This feature is now offered to entice parents to use child seats whenever they travel with their children. These make the installation of child seats easier as it eliminates incompatibilities and challenges that were previously present.
Airbags
Front airbags have become a standard feature on vehicles since 1998. Should you be looking into buying an older car, you can ask the garage to find a way to install them for you as an added protection. Adaptive sensors help detect collisions from the front and the sides and deploy the mechanism in milliseconds to protect the drivers and passengers from further harm.
ABS (Antilock Brake System)
Your vehicle should have an ABS to ensure that you would retain steering control should you encounter hard braking situations. This will help the driver manoeuvre the car to prevent collisions or fishtailing as it provides maximum braking functionality to ensure that you would avoid accidents.
Brake assist
Newer vehicle models come with brake assist features and work together with ABS to ensure that the driver will retain steering control even in panic stops.
Takeaway
Vehicle safety features should be non-compromised whenever you look to buy a new or pre-owned car. These features will ensure that you and your passenger get safely to your destination.
Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/seat-belt-seatbelt-vehicle-4227630/
