Safety belts, air bags and strong passenger compartment structures are responsible for saving more lives in crashes than ever.
Research shows 90 per cent of crashes are caused by human error, and Chevrolet’s new available crash-avoidance technologies are designed to help drivers maneuver around rear-end, backup, blind spot and lane-change collisions with systems that send alerts via beeps, flashing icons and even by vibrating the driver’s seat.
The alerts, however, are only as effective as a customer’s willingness to keep them turned on.
At the North American International Auto Show, which runs until Jan. 25, a safety experience in the Chevrolet Theater with a massive, high resolution 73-foot-long, 20-foot-tall display screen will show how Chevrolet vehicles are designed to prevent, protect and respond to help keep vehicle occupants safe on the road.
According to one consumer survey, one of the more appealing crash-avoidance technologies is side blind zone alert, which helps drivers avoid striking a vehicle in their blind spot during a lane-change maneuver.
Improper lane changes account for about nine percent of crashes reported to police each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Side blind zone alert is available on the Chevrolet Cruze, Impala, SS, Traverse, Tahoe and Suburban, and may be offered alone or with lane change alert technology. When offered alone, the system uses one left and one right short-range radar – hidden in the rear corners of the vehicle – to monitor up to 11 feet back from the side mirror and one lane over from both sides of the vehicle.
An amber lane change alert icon is lit in the left or right side mirror when a moving vehicle is detected in the side blind zone, and it flashes if a turn signal is activated in the direction of the other vehicle.
A lit icon means it may be unsafe to change lanes.
Drivers still need to check mirrors, glance over their shoulder and use turn signals.