Winter Technological Advancements

Top 5 technological advancements that have improved winter driving

There have been some great innovations that not only make driving more enjoyable and less effort, but that also help to improve driving safety in sometimes difficult winter conditions. Here’s some of our favourites:

Forward collision warning and auto braking

Vehicles can sense hazards in the road, warn the driver and brake the car to prevent a crash. For example if a driver is following someone who slams on the brakes, a combination of sensors; laser beams and cameras detect the problem and alert the driver. Assistive technology automatically applies the brakes to prevent a crash. The driver resumes control as soon as he or she applies pressure to the brake.

Lane departure warning systems

Keeping drivers in their respective lanes on slippery roads is essential to road safety. If a car starts to drift into another lane, the driver is alerted to the hazard by a buzzer, warning light or vibration. Assistive technology will start to correct the problem, slowly moving the car back into the proper lane (though the technology does not work when snow covers lane markings). The driver resumes control as soon as he or she starts to make the correction.

Adaptive headlights

Visibility can be an issue on winter roads. Traditional headlights shine straight ahead, but adaptive headlights react to the steering wheel. If a driver turns the wheel to the right, the headlights follow to increase visibility.

LED lights

When snow is falling, spotting lights ahead can be a hard task. Halogen light bulbs were the standard, but now more manufacturers are moving to LED bulbs. LED bulbs outshine halogen bulbs, which gives winter drivers an edge when visibility is low.

Traction control

In slippery conditions, tyres can lose traction and spin. The traction control feature helps tyres grip such slippery roads. In wet conditions, tyres can lose traction and spin. Traction control uses sensors to measure rotational speed in tyres and triggers the engine to adjust the level of power the vehicle needs to regain control. If needed, the sensors can pump the brakes to keep the driver from losing control.

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