All the safety info you need
You can easily do this by checking out the How Safe is Your Car website as a reference tool to research the safest options for new and used vehicles at any budget.
How Safe is Your Car provides a comprehensive catalogue of safety ratings for most vehicles sold in Australia using independent data from the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and Used Car Safety Ratings from the Monash University Accident Research Centre.
Vehicles with the highest star ratings and advanced safety features reduce the risk of death or serious injury as the result of a crash. And advances in safety technology mean that cars have become safer over time as the criteria to achieve five-stars has also been increased.
Obviously, the more airbags the vehicle is equipped with will ensure greater protection for all occupants in the event of a crash. However, some vehicles are not fitted with air bags that cover rear passengers, so make sure you look for models which feature full-length curtain airbags.
Not all EVs are built the same
Electric vehicles have enabled manufacturers to significantly change the design of a vehicle and its structure. Not being constrained to the typical layout of a conventional combustion drivetrain has provided options for where manufacturers place motors and batteries. Some fully electric vehicles are built on dedicated ‘skateboard’ platforms where the battery is mounted in the centre of the vehicle under the floor. Some vehicles of this design are among the highest- scoring vehicles from independent crash testing authorities.
However, being electric-powered doesn’t guarantee a safe design, so it is just important as ever to check the safety ratings and ensure you are buying the safest car you can afford.
The safety features you need
Almost as critical as protecting occupants from injury in a crash is the ability to avoid an accident in the first place.
With that in mind, modern cars have a range of advanced safety systems that can provide critical assistance in making sure that never happens, including features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Auto Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Blind Spot Warning and Driver Attention Detection.
All of these should be on top of a must-have list when purchasing an electric car.
The corner stone of stability
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is driver aid in helping to avoid a crash. It is an electronic driving aid that essentially ensures the driver can maintain control of the vehicle in an emergency situation.
It does this by, firstly, constantly monitoring the driver’s inputs and detecting if any – or all – wheels lose traction due to slippery road conditions or sudden changes of direction.
If it recognises any loss of traction or that the driver is attempting to avoid an emergency, the system ensures the driver can maintain the intended direction of travel by automatically reducing drive and applying the brakes on individual wheels so the vehicle doesn’t slide out of control.
Auto braking
Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) goes a step further, and uses a complex combination of radar, ultrasonic sensors, and/or cameras that can step in for the driver if it assumes they have failed to detect an impending collision. If so, the system will sound an alert and automatically apply the brakes to minimise or avoid contact.
This system is essentially an extra set of eyes on the road ahead.
Some newer vehicles also provide AEB when reversing, which could be a life saver when small children are around – especially in high-riding large vehicles such as family SUVs.
Stay in your lane
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) uses the same forward-facing cameras to read lane markings on the road. If the computer system determines the vehicle is veering from the centre of the lane, it will apply force through the steering system or brake an individual wheel to ensure the car remains within the centre of the lane markings.
This also provides an early warning sign of fatigue on long road trips.
Eyes in the back of your car
Blind Spot Warning works to help prevent the driver from changing lanes when another vehicle is alongside.
It uses ultrasonic sensors on the rear bumpers and, in some cases additional cameras in the side view mirrors, to detect vehicles travelling beside and behind in adjacent lanes on either side of the car.
When a vehicle is detected to be in the driver’s blind spot, most systems will illuminate a warning in the instrument cluster and/or the relevant side mirror, indicating which side the vehicle is approaching from.
If the driver activates the turn signal for that side, the system will sound an audible warning and/or the display will flash to alert the driver.
More advanced systems will activate the Lane Keeping Assistance function to prevent the driver from changing lanes.
Your car is watching you
Driver Attention Detection does exactly what is says by measuring steering wheel movements or using a camera within the cabin to monitor the driver’s head and eye movements.
With that, it can determine if the driver isn’t paying attention to the road ahead by not looking forward enough, while slower eye movements are an indication of fatigue.
If the system recognises either of these traits, most will alert the driver through either an audible or visual warning on the instrument cluster, or both. More advanced versions (currently only available in a handful of high-end vehicles) can even detect if the driver has collapsed and will automatically bring the vehicle to a complete stop and call emergency services.
