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Understanding Modern Safety Features in Vehicles

If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, you’ll likely want to check a prospective vehicle’s safety features. Unlike in the past, vehicles often have tons of safety features included in them, which can make it harder to keep track of what they do and if they’re worth having. To further complicate things, vehicle manufacturers frequently offer the same or similar safety systems with unique trademarked names.

As you look for a new vehicle or evaluate your current vehicle’s safety, review our guide to the main types of modern car safety features and how to know whether a vehicle is safe.

Breaking Down the Five Main Types of Modern Vehicle Safety Features

Modern vehicle safety features help protect drivers from a wide variety of potential risks. For example, many modern vehicles feature forward collision prevention, terrain safety, driver monitoring, parking, and lane assistance features to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians from accidents. 

Below, you can find a breakdown of the five main types of safety features in cars and what the most commonly included vehicle safety features do:

1. Forward Collision Prevention

Collision Prevention and Mitigation Safety Features

  • Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS): Prevents the wheels from locking up during braking, helping you maintain steering control by restoring traction to your tires.
  • Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): Detects slow or stopped traffic ahead and automatically applies the brakes if you fail to respond, helping to avoid or mitigate collisions.
  • Brake Assist: Senses emergency braking situations and provides additional braking force to help you stop more quickly.
  • Forward Collision Warning: Scans the road ahead and warns you if you’re about to collide with a slower-moving or stopped vehicle, giving you time to swerve or stop before you crash into the other car.
  • Left Turn Crash Avoidance: Monitors oncoming traffic when you’re turning left at low speeds (such as at a traffic light) and automatically brakes if it detects you’re turning into the path of another vehicle.
  • Traction Control: Adjusts engine power or applies brakes to individual wheels to prevent wheel slippage, helping your vehicle maintain traction on slippery surfaces.

Anti-Speeding Safety Features

  • Curve Speed Warning: Alerts drivers when approaching a curve at a speed that may be too high for safe navigation.
  • High-Speed Alert: Notifies drivers when they exceed a predetermined speed threshold, promoting adherence to speed limits.

Adaptive Safety Features

  • Adaptive Cruise Control: Maintains a set speed and automatically adjusts it to keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.
  • Adaptive Headlights: Adjusts the direction and range of the headlights based on steering input and vehicle speed to enhance nighttime visibility.

2. Anti-Rollover, Braking, Tire Pressure, and Terrain Safety Features

Braking and Anti-Rollover Safety Features

The ABS, AEB, and traction control systems mentioned above not only help prevent collisions but also play a critical role in enhancing braking performance and preventing vehicle rollovers. Additionally, brake assist and electronic stability control contribute to maintaining control during emergency maneuvers.

Terrain Safety Features

  • Temperature Warning: Alerts drivers when the outside temperature is at or below freezing, indicating potentially icy road conditions.
  • Hill Descent Assist: Maintains a controlled speed when driving downhill without requiring the driver to apply the brakes, enhancing safety on steep declines.
  • Hill Start Assist: Prevents the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on an incline by temporarily holding the brakes as the driver transitions from the brake to the accelerator.

3. Driver State Monitoring and Communication Safety Features

Detection Safety Features

  • Obstacle Detection: Senses slow-moving or stationary objects at low speeds and can warn the driver or apply brakes to avoid collisions. 
  • Pedestrian Detection: Recognizes pedestrians in your vehicle’s path and can warn you or apply automatic braking to prevent or mitigate a collision.
  • Bicycle detection: Identifies cyclists in or near your vehicle’s path and can alert you or apply automatic braking to prevent a collision.

Driver and Tire Pressure Monitoring Safety Features

  • Tire Pressure Monitoring System: Monitors tire pressure and alerts the driver when it falls below the recommended level, helping to prevent blowouts and improve fuel efficiency.
  • Drowsiness Alert: Monitors driver behavior for signs of fatigue, such as steering patterns, and provides alerts to encourage rest breaks.

4. Parking and Backing Assistance Safety Features

Backing Assistance

  • Back-Up Camera: Displays the area directly behind the vehicle when in reverse, aiding in parking and preventing back-over accidents.
  • Back-Up Warning: Alerts drivers to obstacles behind the vehicle while reversing, often through audible warnings or visual indicators.
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert: Warns drivers of approaching traffic from the sides when backing out of parking spaces, reducing the risk of collisions.

Parking Assistance

  • Automatic Parallel Parking: Assists drivers in parallel parking by controlling steering while the driver manages acceleration and braking.
  • Parking Sensors: Detects objects around the vehicle during parking maneuvers and provides warnings to prevent collisions.

5. Lane and Side Assistance Safety Features

Lane Assistance Safety Features

  • Lane Departure Warning: Alerts drivers when the vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling, promoting safer lane-keeping.
  • Lane Keeping Assist: Provides gentle steering inputs to help keep the vehicle within its lane if unintentional drifting is detected.

Side Assistance Safety Features

  • Blind Spot Warning: Notifies drivers of vehicles in their blind spots, often through visual indicators on side mirrors, to assist with safe lane changes.
  • Sideview Camera: Provides live video feed of the vehicle’s blind spots or sides when you turn on your turn signal or activate it manually, enhancing visibility during lane changes or turns.

Do Modern Safety Features Actually Improve Vehicle Safety?

While some drivers might find modern safety features to be overkill, they’ve actually been proven to improve driver safety in the United States. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the average vehicle in 2012 had an estimated 56% lower fatality risk for occupants compared to an average vehicle in the late 1950s. 

NHTSA also estimates that new or improved safety features saved approximately 600,000 lives between 1960 and 2012. While NHTSA doesn’t have current estimates for the number of lives safety features developed after 2012 have saved, it’s quite likely that these new safety features in cars have saved many more lives.

What Modern Safety Features Do Vehicles Actually Need?

Though all of the previously covered modern vehicle safety features can keep you safer, NHTSA recommends drivers pick vehicles with the following driver assistance technologies:

  • Forward collision warning
  • Lane departure warning
  • Crash imminent braking (a type of AEB)
  • Dynamic brake support (another type of AEB)

In addition to checking for these car safety features, you can review NHTSA’s rating of a vehicle you’re interested in purchasing through their 5-Star Safety Ratings program. This program rates vehicles on a five-star scale, with a one-star rating being the lowest and a five-star rating the highest. If a vehicle has more stars, it will be safer than a vehicle with a lower star rating. You can use NHTSA’s rating page to search for a vehicle and check how safe it is.

Choose Chapel Hill Tire for Vehicle Safety Inspections in the NC Triangle

Alongside purchasing a vehicle with a five-star rating and modern safety features, you should still have your vehicle inspected regularly to ensure it’s safe to drive. If you need a vehicle safety inspection in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, or the surrounding areas, Chapel Hill Tire can help. Our inspections ensure your vehicle is working at its best and your safety features are performing as they should. Whether you need an NC state inspection or just want to check that all your safety features are working, we’ll be happy to help!

Check out our vehicle inspection services today. If you’re ready to receive an inspection or need any of our other repair services, please make an appointment at one of our convenient locations in the Triangle area. You’ll also want to check out our coupons to see how much you can save on our services!

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Be Honest: Do I Need to Replace Tires in Pairs? 

tires in a tire shop

If one of your tires blows out and needs to be replaced, it can be tempting to simply buy a single used tire to replace your old one. While this might save you a bit of money in the short run, it’s usually not recommended for the problems and costs it can create in the long term. As you decide how many tires you should buy, take a moment to learn more about when it’s okay to replace your tires in pairs.

Do You Have to Buy Tires in Pairs?

When your tires are showing signs they need to be replaced, it’s usually best practice to replace all four of your tires at once instead of replacing them in pairs. The reason for replacing all four tires at the same time is that you want all four corners of your vehicle (i.e., your tires) to have a similar amount of traction and grip on the road. 

As tires wear down, their tread will become shallower. If you replace only two tires instead of all four,  the tread will be uneven since the new tires will have more tread than the others. This uneven tread will affect the braking and handling of your vehicle, which could reduce your control over your ride.

Replacing all four tires at the same time ensures they have the same tread depth. This consistency in tread depth will make your handling and braking more predictable, resulting in a safer and more controlled driving experience.

Can I Change My Tires in Pairs If I Can’t Afford 4 New Tires?

For all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles, consult your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendation for how many tires to replace.  Most manufacturers of all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles recommend all four tires to be the same brand and model while also being within 2/32 of an inch of tread of each other.

If you can’t swing the cost of four tires and your owner’s manual says you can replace them in pairs, the next best option is to buy tires in pairs and replace the most worn-down tires on your vehicle with them first. Typically, a front-wheel drive’s front tires wear out faster than those in the rear, while a rear-wheel drive’s back tires wear down faster. As a result, if you have a rear-wheel drive, chances are you’ll need to replace your rear tires first, and the opposite goes for front-wheel drives.  

One caveat, however, is that replacing all four tires at once can save you money in the long run. When all four of your tires start with the same tread depth and are regularly rotated, they’ll wear more evenly and last longer, making it so you can go longer between replacements. Even tire wear also helps you save money at the gas pump, as tires in good condition reduce a vehicle’s fuel usage. 

When you buy tires in pairs, make sure that the new tires are the same as the old ones. If you get different tires, they could be sized differently, meant for different types of driving (e.g., winter vs. all-season tires), or wear down at different rates. 

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Should You Put a New Pair of Tires on the Front or Rear of the Vehicle?

In general, it’s recommended to install a new pair of tires at your vehicle’s rear, as installing them there will improve the predictability of your vehicle’s handling and help avoid spin-outs. If your front tires need to be replaced, you can replace them with your old rear tires and install the new tires at the rear. That being said, you should speak with a mechanic about where you should install your new pair of tires based on your specific vehicle’s needs.

What Problems Can Replacing a Single Tire Cause?

Never replace a single tire without a qualified mechanic telling you it’s okay. Usually, replacing a single tire will negatively affect your vehicle’s handling, balance, and grip on the road. While you might not notice these negative effects when you’re driving in perfect conditions, you’ll be far more likely to lose control of your vehicle while driving on wet roads or taking a corner at high speeds. 

Is It Ever Okay to Replace a Single Tire?

If you’ve recently bought a new set of tires and one of them blows out, you may be able to get away with only replacing the damaged tire. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if your tires are 30% worn or less, you can replace a single tire even though a pair would be safer. Additionally, If your tires are 40% to 50% worn, you can replace them in pairs, and if all your tires are 70% worn, you should replace all four of them.

Tire Replacement Services in the Triangle

If you need tire replacement services in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, or the surrounding Triangle area, Chapel Hill Tire has you covered. When you think you might need new tires, our team can inspect them and give you a recommendation on whether it’s time to replace them. Our tire finder tool makes it simple for drivers to compare tires and find a pair or full set for their vehicle. We can also help you decide on the right type of tires and replace them to get you back on the road as fast as possible.

Learn more about our tire repair and replacement services today. If you’re ready to bring your vehicle in, please make an appointment at one of our convenient locations in the Triangle area. We also recommend checking out our coupons to see how much you can save. 

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Common Tire Change Mistakes: Is Your Car at Risk?

Tire change

Knowing how to safely change a tire is essential for any driver. If it’s been a while since you learned how to change a tire and want to make sure you’re doing it correctly, you’ll want to avoid some common mistakes. As you prepare to change a tire, take a moment to review the top seven tire-changing mistakes drivers often make.

1. Assuming You Have a Spare and Tire Changing Tools in Your Vehicle

While spare tires used to be standard in almost every vehicle, 40% of new cars don’t come with a spare tire; instead they include a mobility kit with tire sealer.  If you’ve never checked if your vehicle has a spare, jack, and tire tool, you’ll want to make sure you have them (typically, they’re located in a spare tire well beneath the trunk of a vehicle). Drivers who don’t have a spare tire, jack, and tire tool should invest in them, but if there’s nowhere to store them, they should at least invest in a puncture repair kit to fix minor punctures temporarily.

In addition to checking that you have a spare tire, jack, and tire tool, you’ll need to have a few more right tire-changing tools in your vehicle. If your vehicle has a tire pressure gauge, portable tire inflator, and wheel wedges/chocks, you’re in good shape.  A torque wrench to properly tighten the lug nuts/studs would be a plus, but isn’t necessary for a temporary tire.  While checking for the necessary items, it is a great time to check and adjust the spare tire’s pressure.

2. Using an Improperly Sized Spare Tire

After verifying you have a spare tire and the right tools, you should check that your spare tire is properly sized for your vehicle. Driving on a spare that’s too small or large for your vehicle can lead to vehicle damage, performance issues, and reduce the durability of your other tires. 

You can easily see if a tire is sized correctly by checking your owner’s manual for the right type of tire. If you don’t have your owner’s manual, you can find the information on a sticker located on the driver’s side door or in the door jamb on most vehicles.

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3. Not Parking the Vehicle in a Safe or Flat Location

Before you start changing your tire, it’s important to park your vehicle in a safe location first. While an unexpected flat tire can make you panic, you’ll need to keep a cool head and gradually pull your vehicle off the road. Typically, parking lots will be the safest location to change a tire, and if you can’t find a safe location, there’s no shame in calling for a tow instead of trying to change your tire in a dangerous place.

If you’re on a highway and aren’t close to an offramp where it will be safer to pull over, try to stop on a straight section of the highway, as parking on a curve could reduce your visibility to other drivers. Turning your vehicle’s hazards on can also make you more visible. Additionally, avoid changing your tire on a hill or at an incline, as it raises the risk of your car falling off the jack.

4. Not Knowing Where to Place the Jack When Changing a Tire

Every vehicle should have jacking points designed for your jack on its underside. When you don’t place the jack underneath these points, your vehicle could slip off the jack, or the jack could damage your vehicle. Before you place your jack underneath your vehicle, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the correct jacking points.  Once the jack is properly positioned, but before lifting the vehicle, loosen each lug nut or bolt on the wheel with the flat tire about 1 turn.

5. Leaving the Lug Nuts Not Fully Tightened

Once you’ve replaced your tire with the spare, you’ll need to screw the lug nuts or bolts back on before you lower your vehicle back down. If you don’t fully tighten the lug nuts or bolts, your wheel will be loose and could fall off your vehicle.

While you can use your hand to screw the lug nuts or bolts back on part of the way, you’ll need a lug wrench to snug them. After snugging the lug nuts or bolts, you can lower your vehicle off the jack. Once the installed spare tire is on the ground, use the wrench and your full body weight to turn the lug nuts or bolts until they can’t be tightened anymore. This should ensure they are tight enough to get to your destination.

6. Driving Away Without Checking the Spare Tire’s Tire Pressure

After you’ve lowered your vehicle off the jack, don’t immediately drive away. Instead, use your tire pressure gauge on the spare tire to verify that the pressure is right for your vehicle. If the spare is underinflated, you can use a portable inflator to fill the tire to your vehicle’s recommended levels. If you don’t have a portable inflator, but the spare tire has at least ¾ of the rated pressure, slowly drive to the closest gas station and use their air pump.

7. Not Changing Your Tires at Recommended Intervals

Knowing how often to change tires can help reduce the chance you experience a flat tire in the first place. Tires are only built to last so long, and driving on tires with significant wear and tear raises the risk of a blown tire. A good rule of thumb is to replace your tires once their tread depth has dipped below 4/32 of an inch of thickness. Since a tire’s rubber will harden over time, tires older than six years should also be replaced.

Choose Chapel Hill Tire for Tire Replacement Services in the Triangle

If you need tire replacement services in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, or the surrounding Triangle area, Chapel Hill Tire can help. Whether you’ve just experienced a flat tire or your current tires have reached the end of their lifespan, our team can quickly inspect your vehicle and install a new set for you. We also have a tire finder tool that makes it easy to find a new set of tires!

Learn more about our tire replacement services today. If you need new tires or any other auto services, please make an appointment at one of our convenient locations in the Triangle area. We also recommend checking out our coupons to see how much you can save!