Are UK roads safer than ever?

The number of people killed on the UK’s roads has steadily declined over the past decade and the trend continued throughout 2014. So why are the UK’s roads safer? Below are some new safety features which have helped bring those statistics down along with a few new technologies.

Adaptive cruise control – Adaptive cruise control is similar to conventional cruise control in that it maintains the vehicle’s pre-set speed. However, unlike conventional cruise control, this new system can automatically adjust speed in order to maintain a proper distance between vehicles in the same lane. So if the vehicle in front of you slows down you automatically slow down.

Automatic emergency braking – (pretty much self explanatory) AEB systems use both cameras and radar sensors to prevent collisions. The sensors can see in fog, rain and other extreme conditions, it can see what’s happening up ahead and alert you of the danger. If a crash is imminent and the driver doesn’t react in time the system will automatically deploy the emergency brakes. This works when travelling between 5-50mph.

Adaptive headlights – This innovative technology allows drivers to see better as they drive round a corner of a night. When driving around a bend in the road, standard headlights continue to shine straight ahead, illuminating the side of the road and leaving the road ahead of you in the dark. Adaptive headlights, on the other hand, turn their beams according to your steering input so that the vehicle’s actual path is lit up.

Side view assist – This is a driver assistance system that helps drivers when they are changing lanes and warns them of dangers that are within their blind spots. This is being used on a lot of buses within London to help prevent collisions with cyclists.

Self- Parking System – This system can tell if your car can fit into those tight spaces using sensors. It measures the angles and parks automatically. Unfortunately this could be the end to those embarrassing parking videos that get shared around the web.

These are just some of the new technologies that have come across over the past decade and who knows what will happen over the next 10 years.