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Being a Safe Driver Means Understanding Car’s Features
Sep 25 2008 by Sherrice Gilsbach
All right people, listen up. We’re failing miserably when it comes to the proper use of our in-vehicle safety systems. We’re abusing systems that are intended to help us by ignoring warnings and forgetting to read the manuals. We’re hurting our children, ourselves and others because of our own lack of tech-knowledge.
NBC’s “Today” show recently told the story of a 6-year-old girl, Erica Rix, whose hand was severed because she was playing with a jump rope through the car window. Erica had wrapped one end of the jump rope around her hand and tossed the other end out the car window “because [she] thought it was gonna fly.” Erica’s mom, Allison, told the “Today” show that she didn’t know that Erica was playing with the jump rope in the backseat. The jump rope became entangled with the car’s axle, and you can imagine the result. Thankfully, Erica’s hand has been reattached and she’s recovering.
Could this accident have been avoided if the child-safety lock had been set on the window? Do you know how to set your car’s child-safety lock? AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety survey revealed that many Americans aren’t well-informed about their cars’ features, but we won’t be getting away with it anymore. The AAA folks know what we’re up to and, frankly, they’re tired of baby-sitting us.
Fairley W. Mahlum, AAA’s director of communications, provided us with the four most-misunderstood car technologies. In no particular order, they are:
1) Adaptive Cruise Control
ACC is designed to help your car keep a safe distance from other cars while in cruise mode. The AAA survey found that many drivers think this technology can do more than it’s capable of. Survey respondents seemed to think ACC would help drivers avoid a collision, which is beyond the system’s capabilities. Remember, you’re still in the driver’s seat; you can’t blame your car for your actions.
2) High-Intensity Discharge Headlights
It’s likely that while driving you’ve been blinded by these headlights, which are brighter than regular headlights and have a blue tint to them. The AAA survey found that 20 percent of drivers of cars equipped with HID headlights drive faster because of the headlights. Remember, these headlights don’t give you super powers or permission to drive like a maniac in a rainstorm!
3) Backing Aid Sensors and Rearview Cameras
This is a feature I’ve often wished I had in my car, but did you know that backing aid sensors often fail to recognize shorter objects, including small children—especially when they’re very close to or underneath your rear bumper? That’s what AAA says. Hmmmm, that’s something to think about, isn’t it? Don’t become too dependent on these aids or you could regret it.
4) Navigation Systems
Nav systems are handy little devices, but they can be distracting. Sixty-three percent of people who took the AAA survey said they weren’t aware of any manufacturer warnings or limitations regarding their navigation systems. Hello! How about one of the most common causes of any and all bad driving – driver distraction!
If you’re guilty of misunderstanding any of the above car features, we hope AAA’s research will be helpful to you. Get those car manuals out and read, read, read. Use them as bedtime stories for your kids; have you ever noticed how good kids are at retaining information and then reminding you about stuff? Find a way to make learning about your car and its features fun so you don’t end up with regrets.
