When it comes to buying a new car either for yourself or a family member, you always want to make sure that you can get the best for your money. This includes safety features. The challenge for new buyers, however, is trying to figure out what all of the safety acronyms mean.

Deciphering Vehicle Safety Feature Acronyms

For this article, Synthetic Solutions aims to help you out with some information to share about what all of those acronyms mean and how the safety features work.

ABS

Let's start with the most common, but by no means least important, safety feature, Anti-lock Braking System. If you have ever heard a car screech to a halt, you've just heard the very reason for ABS. The ABS prevents your brakes from locking should you slam your foot on the brake pedal. By monitoring the traction of your tire as you brake, the ABS allows only the maximum pressure before reaching the locking point. What this means is that instead if sliding into the car ahead of you that suddenly stopped, your car comes to a very quick and controlled stop.

SLD

Speed Limiting Devices have been around for a while, however mostly limited to an alert function. With the surge of interest in self-driving cars, however, the system is gaining some more controlling features. This safety system uses location data to 'know' the speed limit. If you continue to exceed the limit over a set period, the car will sound and light an alarm. Modern cars will take this one step further by overriding the gas pedal and reducing the vehicle's speed. While electronics can help keep your car safe, they can't keep your engine clean. Speak with Synthetic Solutions at (919) 600-2749 to learn about how a synthetic oil change in Wendell can work to keep your engine cleaner for longer.

LKT

Lane Keeping Technology is likely to be seen in very modern cars which boast the most up-to-date technology. Using, at the least, a front-mounted camera, the car distinguishes where it sits in the lane and can alert you if it detects you are veering outside of your lane. The next step in this system is automation. If the driver does not correct the steering after an audible warning or vibrations through the steering wheels, the car will take limited control over the steering mechanism to help keep your lane.

DA

Far from the original warning light which would show on your dash after three hours of constant driving, Drowsiness Alert systems now use real-time driving data like the small corrections you make as you steer to determine whether you are keeping to your regular conscious driving patterns or are deviating. If a variation is detected then an audible alert can be sounded to ensure the driver is paying attention. With a reported one in five fatal crashes being caused by drowsiness, advances in alert technology like this can't come fast enough.

ACC

While drivers should always be paying attention to the road, the very nature of Cruise Control can lead drivers to become complacent and distracted. Even for a second, a distracted driver can cause a collision. A regular cruise control system would maintain the vehicle's speed, even if that means colliding into the car traveling ahead. ACC, however, monitors the distance between you and the car in front and adjusts your speed to ensure you follow at a safe distance. As important as this feature is, it is equally important that drivers do not become reliant on this technology and adjust to a less focused driving style.

ESC

As you drive around corners and turns, small changes in the road conditions and your tires can impact the level of traction each tire is able to gain. If either of your wheels loses too much traction, then it can cause the driver to lose control. Electronic Stability Control actively monitors each tire and, if necessary, slows individual tires to regain traction and provide total control to the driver.

Keep Your Engine Clean with a Synthetic Oil Change in Wendell

While advances in vehicle safety technology are always welcome, nothing replaces the responsibility of the driver to drive carefully and responsibly. When it comes to the health and performance of your car's engine, a synthetic oil change in Wendell can keep an engine clean and help it perform at its best. Speak with Synthetic Solutions at (919) 600-2749 and ask about the right AMSOIL engine oil for your vehicle. If you prefer, the online store has more information about each of the high-quality motor oils available.