Vehicles with Accident Avoidance Systems, Safer?

Vehicle technology has changed so much in the last 15 years that if you don't keep up with it you would be greatly surprised by just how many computers are on your new car. A Mercedes convertible with the folding roof has over 100 control modulers on the vehicle. A control module is a computer used to control the functions of your vehicle. The average car today has very few systems that do not run through some kind of control module to handle the command from the switches that turn on the device. Dome lights, headlights, turn signals almost everything you can imagine is controlled by a module. Now what does a crash avoidance system do?

A crash avoidance system uses a type of radar to identify slow moving or stationary objects in your vehicles path as you are maneuvering through the maze we drive through every day. The system was tested on Semi trucks and the first versions were a little quirky at best. The system can work a few different ways depending on the vehicle maker by either sounding a buzzer, making the steering wheel vibrate or lighting an indicator on the dash. Some systems are active, in other words they will slow the car down and some will even stop the car. This system coupled with stability control will greatly reduce your chances of hitting an object or losing control trying to avoid an object. This in itself will help reduce the amount of crashes for most unsuspecting drivers when an object ends up in your path.

Although I applaud the new technology, I do not embrace the amount of wiring and computers that this adds to the vehicles we drive. The average technician is going to have his hands full as these products become more prevalent on the street cars that we are driving. They not only will have to service the moving parts of a car or truck but they will have to be an electrician and a computer expert!

I would definitely not trust my backyard technician to adjust the radar sensor's on my new car! If you need collision repairs please be careful and choose someone that is certified and knows what they are doing!