Safety Features Worth Buying
If you haven't shopped for a new car in a few years, you're probably going to come across some safety feature names you may not be familiar with.
Safety is a huge concern for most car shoppers, and there are some safety technologies you should consider adding as options (if they don't already come standard with the vehicle).
The safety features below have been shown to reduce accidents, or reduct the severity of accidents, and are worth considering.
As always, if you're shopping for a new car right now, I recommend you use TrueCar and Edmunds Price Promise to quickly see the best deals being offered in your area.
| Safety Feature | What Does it Do |
|---|---|
| Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking | Also called Automatic Emergency Braking or Forward Collision Mitigation. This safety feature detects vehicles or objects in front of your car, triggers an audio or visual warning, and if you don't respond quickly enough, will apply the brakes to avoid or lessen severity of a crash. |
| Adaptive Headlights | Pivots the light along with the direction of steering wheel so you can see better. Some will not only swing side to side, but also up and down when going up or down hills. |
| Automatic Crash Notification | Detects if you have an accident, and automatically contacts an emergency operator and gives your location for responders. |
| Blind-Spot Warning | Sound warning or flash light in the sideview mirror when another vehicle enters your car's side blind spots. |
| Lane Departure Warning | Will signal alarm if you begin to drift out of your traffic lane. |
| Lane Keeping Assist | Takes lane departure warning a step further by steering the vehicle back into your lane if you ignore the warning. |
| Pedestrian Alert | Detects pedestrians in your path and sounds alarm, some will apply the brakes automatically if it calculates a collision. |
| Rear cross-traffic alert | Sounds warning if car or pedestrian enters your path as you back up. |
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar, Edmunds, and 1-800 Car Show are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.California Residents - Important:
There is a new online car buying service called Roadster, available only to California residents, which I highly recommend you try - especially if you hate the stress of haggling with a car salesman. They provide an expert concierge who negotiates the price of the car and delivers it to your home with zero hassle - you never have to interact with a dealership. Here is my in-depth review of Roadster and why I recommend it.- Gregg Fidan
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About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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