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SAFETY FEATURES IN

CARS

Name : Nurfarah Nadia Bt. Othman


Class : 4 Theta
Title : Safety Features In Cars
Subject : Physics
Teacher : Mrs. Sharifah Sofea
INTRODUCTION

From the very beginning of mechanised road vehicles


development, car safety has become a renowned issue regarding
to the subject. Industrial safety can be defined as the ability to
manage the risks inherent to operations or related to the
environment. It is not a dislike of risks; it is rather a commitment
to identify them in relation to production operations, assess them
in terms of quality and quantity and hence, manage them.
Safety Features

Anti Lock Brakes or ABS

The main objective of anti-lock brakes is to prevent a car's wheels


from locking during panic braking. By allowing the car to slow
down in a more controlled manner, the driver can maintain a
better steering control and avoid unnecessary accidents. There is
also a link to physics behind the design of the ABS. But let's skip
the discussion of static friction and summarise this point by
saying that the ABS system allows cars to slow down faster than
"skidding."

All new cars sold today with ABS have four-wheel anti-lock
brakes. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks are sold
with either two-wheel (rear wheels) or four-wheel ABS.
Electronic Stability Control or ESC

Electronic Stability Control is designed to help drivers to maintain


control of their cars during times of intense steering maneuvers.
ESC helps by preventing a car from spinning out by constantly
monitoring and applying braking force to one or more wheels as
needed.
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS)

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) use a warning light on


the dashboard to alert the driver if one of the tyres is significantly
under-inflated. Tires in this condition are much more prone to tire
failure (a blow out). The standard for this warning to signal is
when the tire pressure is 25% below the tyre manufacturer's
recommended inflation pressure.
For example, if the tyre is supposed to be inflated to 30 psi of
pressure, the TPMS will alert the driver when the tyre pressure
drops below 22.5 psi. All cars manufactured after September 1st,
2007 are subjected to have TPMS.

Daytime Running Lights or DRL

Daytime Running Lights (DRL) turn on the car's headlights every


time the vehicle is being driven. By turning on the headlights -
even at daytime - the ability of other drivers to see your car is
greatly enhanced.
Seat Belts / Safety Belts

Car Seat Belts

Baby Seat Belts

Seat belts are considered the most important safety feature to be


acquired by your car, compared to other hundreds of safety
features available. These belts are designed to keep you in your
seat, which helps you to avoid hitting the steering wheel,
dashboard or windshield. While purchasing a car, sit in the
vehicle and put on the seat belt. Check to make sure the fit is
comfortable. Many cars today offer a variety of ways to adjust
the seat belt to obtain a better fit.

All new cars are required to provide a warning light and audible
signal that lasts for at least eight second if the driver does not
have a seat belt engaged.

Air Bags

The original air bags deployed in cars were placed in the steering
wheel and they were designed to protect the driver, especially
during panic brakes which give a superbly dangerous impact on
the driver himself. The success of air bags in protecting
passengers has lead to their deployment in several new ways.

Frontal Air Bags


Frontal air bags for drivers and passengers have been standard
equipment in all cars since the model year 1998. These bags are
designed to prevent the driver or front seat passenger from
colliding with the windshield, dashboard or steering wheel, which
surely will give collateral damage, especially to head prone
areas. Frontal air bags are usually hidden in the steering wheel
and/or the dashboard itself.

Advanced Air Bag Systems

By September 1st, 2006, all new automobiles were required to be


fitted with advanced air bag systems. This advanced system is
designed to deploy air bags in such a way as to balance the
protection of the passenger with the force by which the bag is
deployed. The advanced system can help protect some adults,
and especially small children, from the harmful effects of an air
bag that deploys with too much force.

Air Bag On / Off Switches

Nearly all vehicles that do not have a rear seat now include an
on/off switch that can deactivate a frontal air bag. For example,
an on/off switch might be commonly found in pickup trucks
allowing the passenger side air bag to be turned off when
transporting a small child.

Side Air Bags


Side air bags are designed to offer additional passenger
protection from side impact collisions. These types of bags take
several forms:

• Curtains/Tubular - these air bags deploy downward from the car's


roof.
• Combination - these air bags deploy upward from the seat back and
provide both head and chest protection.

Side Air Bag Out of Position Test

There has been a recent movement to test side air bags for safety
when a passenger is out of position - such as a child or adult
sleeping with their head resting on the inside of a car's door. If
the vehicle has passed a series of tests for safety under these
conditions, it will be noted in the car's safety literature.

Rollover Air Bags

Rollover air bags are designed to keep passengers inside a


vehicle when a special rollover sensor activates. These rollover
air bags are side air bags that perform this safety function by
staying inflated for a longer period of time.
Vehicle Weight

The next car safety feature to be mentioned has to do with the


vehicle's weight. Once again this has to do with physics (in
reality, quite a bit of a car's behavior can be explained through
physics) but the rule of thumb here is that heavier vehicles offer
passengers a greater level of safety. But this rule of thumb comes
with one of those cautions.

Statistically, some of the heavier vehicles on the road today are


trucks and SUVs. Because of the typical dimensions of SUVs, its
center of gravity is higher off the ground compared to a
passenger car. This makes SUVs more prone to rolling over.

So while an SUV offers passengers the advantage of being a


heavier vehicle, this advantage can be negated by their tendency
to roll over.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Adaptive cruise control is the technologically advanced version of
the conventional cruise control system. It helps the driver to
maintain the car speed in accordance to the traffic situations. It
also helps the driver to maintain a pre-set distance behind the
vehicle ahead by using the throttle and brakes. If in case the
driver increases the car's speed, it automatically reduces the
engine performance until a safe gap with other vehicles is
restored.

Some of the potential advantages of adaptive cruise control are to


reduce accident rates, reduce the driver's fatigue, and also
increase fuel efficiency.

Active Head Restraints


Active head restrains play its role when the car is struck from the
rear. In such a case, it causes a sudden movement of the
occupant's back against the seat. It consists of a pressure plate
and a pivot system in the seat back properly positioned behind
your head. In case of an accident when the body of the passenger
moves into the seat back it directly contacts the pressure plate
and triggers the active head restraint. This provides a constant
support for the head.
Conclusion

It is proved that even the most up-to-date cars are equipped


with the newest and most important safety features of all and not
designed and purchased just based on style only. Remember,
whilst searching for a car to buy, always check for the safety
systems that the car provides and is equipped with.

Therefore, it is necessary for us to be conscious of the safety


features that we can provide our cars with. No matter how old our
car may be, if it is embedded with the most finest and crucial
safety features of all, it will still be as new as the most up-to-date
cars, so long as it is not on the verge of breaking to pieces.

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