Louisiana Motorists Should Know What A Safe Car Means

Negligent or reckless drivers cause many serious traffic accidents in Louisiana. There is, however, much you can do to reduce the odds of being killed or injured in a car crash. You could drive a safer car, for instance. What should you look for when you decide to buy a safer car?

Motorists understand mostly what passive safety systems are: seat belts, head restraints, and air bags are essential features that will protect you in case of an accident.

How do active safety systems work? Systems like ABS (anti-lock brake systems) or ESC (electronic stability control) are called "active" because they actively replace the driver's action. Being much faster and more efficient than anything the driver could do, they work on the brakes, and sometimes on the engine, to correct the vehicle's path and prevent accidents from happening.

ABS

If you slam on the brakes and lock the wheels, your car will skid forward no matter in which direction you steer the wheels. This happens very often on wet or icy pavement. With ABS, the electronic controls will apply force on the brakes just enough to lower the car's speed, but release it as soon as the wheels lock. This happens in a continuous on-and-off cycle up to 16 times per second. ABS powered brakes do not prevent you from crashing if a crash is unavoidable, but they will reduce your speed in the shortest possible time and allow you to steer the car away from an obstacle.

ESC

This system controls the brakes of each wheel separately. When you lose control of your vehicle in a curve and start over- or under-steering, the system's sensors apply a different brake force on each wheel to correct the vehicle's path. In upper-end models, ESC may also control the engine's power to help regain control of the vehicle.

Safety officials estimate that ESCs reduce single-vehicle and rollover crashes by as much as 50 percent.

If you have been hurt in a car, truck or motorcycle accident caused by someone else, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE discussion of your case. Order our FREE lawyer book now: A Guide To Steering Through a Serious Vehicle Accident in Louisiana.