safety features in cars

8/8/2019 Safety Features in Cars

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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


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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 tomanage 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.


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Safety Features

Anti Lock Brakes or ABS

The main objective of anti-lock brakes is to prevent a car's wheelsfrom locking during panic braking. By allowing the car to slowdown in a more controlled manner, the driver can maintain abetter steering control and avoid unnecessary accidents. There isalso a link to physics behind the design of the ABS. But let's skipthe discussion of static friction and summarise this point bysaying that the ABS system allows cars to slow down faster than"skidding."

All new cars sold today with ABS have four-wheel anti-lockbrakes. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks are soldwith either two-wheel (rear wheels) or four-wheel ABS.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Absbrakes.jpg


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Electronic Stability Control or ESC

Electronic Stability Control is designed to help drivers to maintaincontrol of their cars during times of intense steering maneuvers.ESC helps by preventing a car from spinning out by constantlymonitoring and applying braking force to one or more wheels asneeded.


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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 significantlyunder-inflated. Tires in this condition are much more prone to tirefailure (a blow out). The standard for this warning to signal iswhen the tire pressure is 25% below the tyre manufacturer'srecommended inflation pressure.


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For example, if the tyre is supposed to be inflated to 30 psi ofpressure, the TPMS will alert the driver when the tyre pressuredrops 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 everytime the vehicle is being driven. By turning on the headlights -

even at daytime - the ability of other drivers to see your car isgreatly enhanced.


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Seat Belts / Safety Belts

Car Seat Belts

Baby Seat Belts

Seat belts are considered the most important safety feature to beacquired by your car, compared to other hundreds of safetyfeatures available. These belts are designed to keep you in yourseat, which helps you to avoid hitting the steering wheel,dashboard or windshield. While purchasing a car, sit in thevehicle and put on the seat belt. Check to make sure the fit is


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comfortable. Many cars today offer a variety of ways to adjustthe seat belt to obtain a better fit.

All new cars are required to provide a warning light and audiblesignal that lasts for at least eight second if the driver does nothave a seat belt engaged.

Air Bags

The original air bags deployed in cars were placed in the steeringwheel and they were designed to protect the driver, especiallyduring panic brakes which give a superbly dangerous impact onthe driver himself. The success of air bags in protectingpassengers has lead to their deployment in several new ways.

Frontal Air Bags


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Frontal air bags for drivers and passengers have been standardequipment in all cars since the model year 1998. These bags aredesigned to prevent the driver or front seat passenger fromcolliding with the windshield, dashboard or steering wheel, which

surely will give collateral damage, especially to head proneareas. Frontal air bags are usually hidden in the steering wheeland/or the dashboard itself.

Advanced Air Bag Systems

By September 1st, 2006, all new automobiles were required to befitted with advanced air bag systems. This advanced system isdesigned to deploy air bags in such a way as to balance theprotection of the passenger with the force by which the bag isdeployed. 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 anon/off switch that can deactivate a frontal air bag. For example,

an on/off switch might be commonly found in pickup trucksallowing the passenger side air bag to be turned off whentransporting a small child.

Side Air Bags


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Side air bags are designed to offer additional passengerprotection 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 safetywhen a passenger is out of position - such as a child or adultsleeping with their head resting on the inside of a car's door. If

the vehicle has passed a series of tests for safety under theseconditions, 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 rolloverair bags are side air bags that perform this safety function bystaying inflated for a longer period of time.


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Vehicle Weight

The next car safety feature to be mentioned has to do with thevehicle's weight. Once again this has to do with physics (inreality, quite a bit of a car's behavior can be explained throughphysics) but the rule of thumb here is that heavier vehicles offerpassengers a greater level of safety. But this rule of thumb comeswith one of those cautions.

Statistically, some of the heavier vehicles on the road today aretrucks and SUVs. Because of the typical dimensions of SUVs, itscenter of gravity is higher off the ground compared to apassenger car. This makes SUVs more prone to rolling over.

So while an SUV offers passengers the advantage of being aheavier vehicle, this advantage can be negated by their tendencyto roll over.


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Adaptive Cruise Control


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Adaptive cruise control is the technologically advanced version ofthe conventional cruise control system. It helps the driver tomaintain the car speed in accordance to the traffic situations. Italso helps the driver to maintain a pre-set distance behind the

vehicle ahead by using the throttle and brakes. If in case thedriver increases the car's speed, it automatically reduces theengine performance until a safe gap with other vehicles isrestored.

Some of the potential advantages of adaptive cruise control are toreduce accident rates, reduce the driver's fatigue, and alsoincrease fuel efficiency.

Active Head Restraints


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Active head restrains play its role when the car is struck from therear. In such a case, it causes a sudden movement of theoccupant's back against the seat. It consists of a pressure plateand a pivot system in the seat back properly positioned behind

your head. In case of an accident when the body of the passengermoves into the seat back it directly contacts the pressure plateand triggers the active head restraint. This provides a constantsupport for the head.


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Conclusion

It is proved that even the most up-to-date cars are equippedwith 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-datecars, so long as it is not on the verge of breaking to pieces.

safety features in cars

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