What are the most important car safety features in 2014? Really, it doesn’t matter what year it is. You have to make sure that your car has the most important safety features. Also, it’s important that your car has the latest safety features. This is because things change so safety features need to be updated as well. This is why it’s a good idea to learn about the new features coming into 2014.

Don’t Forget the Basics

Even with new features, it’s also important to take note of the basic safety features that your car should have. Here are the most important ones:

• Seat belts
• Air bags
• Antilock Brake System or ABS
• Electronic Stability Control or ESC
• Traction control system
• Daytime running lights
• Remote keyless entry
• Adjustable and telescopic steering wheel

Your next car should have these car safety features. If your car doesn’t have them, it’s time to upgrade. Also, it’s important to note that these basic features have been upgraded as well. For example, air bags are now complemented by a head injury protection feature that’s found underneath the trim of the vehicle’s interior. This is usually made of foam that’s designed to lessen the impact to the people inside the car.

In addition, there’s also the seat belt pretensioner that retracts the seat belt so that there will be no extra slack during impact. This can serve as the difference between life and death. Seat belts nowadays can also be adjusted to match the height of the person that it’s protecting. This avoids any discomfort, which is one of the reasons why people don’t like wearing their seat belt. This is one of the simplest car safety features, but it’s very effective.

New Features this 2014

If you’re in the market for a new car, it goes without saying that it should have the car safety features listed above. However, it’s also a good idea to take advantage of the latest features that technology has to offer. Here are the latest safety features that can help ensure a safer car:

• Auto lane keeping

Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti introduced a new feature that makes small adjustments to your steering to make sure that your car is centered in between the lane markers on the road. This is achieved by the cameras and sensors attached to the car. As you probably know, just an inch or two outside the lane could be catastrophic.

• Automatic brake hold

Do you find yourself at a railroad crossing regularly? With this feature currently in the Acura RLX luxury sedan, the brake is automatically engaged even if the driver is not stepping on the brake pedal. This is helpful if you find yourself stopping at long periods of time regularly, like in a railroad crossing or a very long stoplight.

• Hydrophobic Windows

This feature can help improve visibility while driving in a downpour. The windows shed water like a water lily with this feature. This is one of the car safety features that you will really benefit from regularly.

• i-Key

While driving, it’s important that everything is set for you, the driver. This is why you spend a couple of minutes making sure that the seat, steering wheel, mirrors and the likes are adjusted according to your specifications.

This feature currently found on the 2014 Infiniti Q50 luxury sedan takes it one step further. It saves preferences of up to four drivers so it automatically sets everything as soon as the car recognizes the driver. In addition to the things mentioned above, this feature also sets the climate control, radio, and even puts up the stored destinations.

• Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection

Volvo is living up to its name as one of the manufacturers that have the best car safety features. They’ve done it again with the Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection feature currently found on the XC60 and S60.

Just as the name implies, this feature detects if there’s a pedestrian or cyclist in the car’s path and warns the driver. If the driver is not reacting quickly enough, this feature puts on the break automatically.

Why Buy a Safe Car

Generally speaking, you should buy the car that has the most car safety features that you can afford. Every little thing helps when it comes to car safety. This is especially true if you regularly drive with the whole family. You spend a lot of time in the car, and there are a lot of dangers around. With these car safety features, your everyday driving will be safer.