Many of these devices already have made their way into cars and trucks sold in North America, Europe and Japan, often as standard equipment. Others are on the way. Here are a few of the most notable examples:
• Passive safety
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The bottom line here is that buckled seat belts are a must. They are the first line of defense for drivers and their passengers. Most automotive manufacturers and suppliers are equipping their vehicles with automatically tensioning seat belts, designed to pull properly buckled drivers and passengers back into their seats and hold them in the best-protected position in the event of a crash or rollover accident.
• Air bags
They are becoming more sophisticated and more plentiful. Frontal air bags are getting smarter. More of them are being designed to vary their deployment speeds based on the speed of the crash, and the position and size of the person sitting in front of the bag.
There are also side air bags, often installed in the sides of front seats, designed to increase protection for the occupant's upper body in a side-impact collision. Head and side-curtain air bags, among the newest bag offerings, are proving useful in reducing head and neck injuries and fatalities in rollover accidents. Companies such as Sweden's Autoliv Inc., Michigan-based Delphi Corp. and Germany's Siemens VDO Automotive AG have developed rollover sensors that deploy curtain air bags as soon as an imminent rollover is detected.
(Note: At this writing, many car companies are offering sensor-equipped curtain bags as options, generally at prices a bit below $1,000 per set. Buy them. They will do for you what a $900 moon roof or $2,000 audio system can't.)
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH system)
This technology has developed over the past several years, primarily in response to findings that many infants and toddlers were dying in vehicle crashes because they were not properly restrained in their child-safety seats. LATCH systems now are required in practically all cars and trucks sold in the United States. Be sure to have your dealer, local police and/or fire department officials instruct you on how to properly use the LATCH system. It can save a child's life.
• Pedestrian safety
