Special to Car Care Council Fall 2000 Supplement

Mike and Carol Brady loaded their brood of his and her children, and their nanny, into a large vehicle in plain view of millions of people every week on television in the 1970s. No one used seat belts. There were no baby or child seats in view, no airbags-in-waiting for use in the event of a crash, no third-brake light signaling the car ahead was going to stop, and no anti-lock braking systems (ABS) to help the driver steer clear of unexpected hazards or stop short if need be.

Times have changed.

Today, it's pretty shocking to think that Mike and Carol Brady - so careful about raising their children well - didn't have the safety benefits mandated and available in today's family vehicles. They would have used them all.

Yes, automotive safety belts had been introduced in the 1950s, but there was resistance to this new safety system. News stories told the public that people would die when they were trapped in overturned cars while wearing their safety belts.

While automotive safety belts became standard equipment on the majority of U.S. vehicles by the mid-1960s, they didn't come into popular use until decades later, and then only when there were penalties attached to not using them.

The increase in safety belt use coincided, not only with the introduction of mandatory use, but also with an increase in awareness about automotive safety.

Today, many automotive safety features are available as standard or optional equipment - and newer safety technologies are appearing in new model cars, pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Some help drivers automatically. Smart, or "intelligent," systems provide stability and handling advantages without drivers having to activate these technologies. The vehicles' computers sense imminent danger and steer the vehicle through a corner safely, keep it on course, or slow an engine when a car/truck is going too fast for conditions.

Today, whether consumers drive a particular vehicle daily, occasionally, or on a one-time rental basis, they should be aware of the technology on the vehicle, and what it can do for them and their passengers. Only by knowing the vehicle's equipment can drivers maximize safety for themselves, their passengers, pedestrians, bike riders, and riders in nearby vehicles.

Airbags

Airbags, when safety belts are used, can significantly reduce injury if a crash occurs. It is important, however, that children and adults of small stature not ride in the front seat of a passenger-side airbag-equipped vehicle because the impact of the activated airbag can injure a child or small adult.

Anti-lock brake systems

ABS can help drivers maintain vehicle control and steering to avoid a crash.

There are two kinds of ABS - four-wheel and rear-wheel (RWAL).

Proper use of four-wheel ABS, which is available on cars and some light trucks, requires that drivers firmly brake the vehicle, hold the brake pedal steadily in place, and steer the vehicle to safety. Rear-wheel antilock - found only on some light trucks, vans, and SUVs - prevents the rear wheels from locking up, but because it involves only the rear wheels, the vehicle's front wheels may lock up, causing loss of steering control. To prevent this loss of control, drivers should ease up on the brake pedal briefly just before the front wheels lock up, and then re-engage ABS by holding the brake pedal firmly in place.

It is important that drivers of vehicles equipped with four-wheel or RWAL anti-lock braking systems practice using the technology before they need to use it in an unplanned or panic stopping or slowing situation.

Newest Safety Features

Today, a new category of safety equipment - intelligent stability and handling systems -designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicle during emergency situations, is being installed in increasing numbers. These systems are marketed under several different names such as Active Handling, AdvanceTrac®, Dynamic Stability Control, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), StabiliTrac®, and Traxxar®.

Although intelligent stability and handling systems engage themselves when needed, as do airbags, drivers must be aware of what their vehicle can or cannot do.

Despite All These Safety Technologies

Even with all these advances in safety technologies, drivers should not forget basic safe driving habits. Nor should a driver of a vehicle equipped with these new systems drive more aggressively and expect the same level of safety.

Aggressive driving should be considered as reckless as letting six kids and a nanny in a station wagon ignore their safety belts.