Everyone enjoys the buzz of purchasing a new car, the extended options list of add-ons carmakers push to increase their revenues, many of these items included in the interest of safety.
Undoubtedly some safety items are essential with federal laws requiring all carmakers to fit them as standard, while others are marketed as recommended items. Automated driver aids are one step closer to completely autonomous cars, with their inclusion intended to make driving more pleasurable also has the negative effect of making drivers lazier.
Accidents do happen, on these occasions we rely heavily on active systems to keep us free from injury, these are the areas carmakers should specialize in instead of annoying lights and beeps.
10 Airbags - Life Savers We Wouldn't Be Without
Airbags are now standard safety features of all new cars, but at one time they were optional extras with some carmakers. Hopefully, they will never be needed and remain a last resort safety item in the event of a collision. Airbags themselves can be dangerous, relying on small explosive charges to precisely inflate to the correct pressure at the correct time.
In recent years many carmakers have been forced to recall their models due to suspected airbag faults, with the same sole supplier across the market millions of cars had to be recalled under US safety laws.
9 Adaptive Cruise Control - Way Too Annoying
Cruise control has been around since the 1960s, a fairly basic system allowing the driver to set a predetermined speed to drive at. More recently adaptive systems take things further, automatically adjusting speed to match other road users. Sounds great in theory, however, there are some issues in certain weather conditions that can confuse the system causing random braking and acceleration.
Good design intentions aside, removing complete vehicle control from the driver can only lessen levels of concentration which inevitably will lead to accidents.
8 Rear Seat Belt Belts - Family And Friend Savers We Wouldn't Be Without.
All owners are aware of the safety benefits of seat belts, with all US states requiring front-seat occupants to wear them. Surprisingly only 39 states require rear occupants to wear them despite figures showing passengers are three times likely to suffer fatal injuries in the event of an accident.
Even low-speed collisions at 30mph can lead to 30g deceleration loads, in effect turning the average 180lb passenger into 5400lbs projectile.
7 Lane Assist - Annoyingly Intrusive
Depending on the manufacturer there are two types of lane assistance commonly offered by carmakers, earlier passive systems merely alert the driver to any course deviations while the more recent active system applies steering and braking corrections.
Surveys amongst owners reveal the second more intrusive system is more likely to be deactivated with owners preferring to have full control rather than the automated system making adjustments to the direction and speed of their car.
6 Radial Tires - Improved Grip We Wouldn't Be Without
For most road users, radial tires are the better choice, their construction method provides better sidewall flexibility while maintaining a larger even contact area with the road surface for improved grip. Utilizing circular steel belts in their construction provides better resistance to punctures and tends to run cooler at higher speeds.
There are still some areas where Bias tires make sense, they do offer higher sidewall strength along with a smoother ride on rough surfaces, however, this does come at the expense of durability and fuel economy.
5 Blind Spot Warning - Another Distracting Annoying Light
Another gimmick to sell cars based on safety? Drivers are instructed early on to frequently check their mirrors, adding a bright LED light only serves as another distraction. On freeways, the system might prove beneficial in faster-moving traffic particularly when preparing to change lanes.
Most journeys these days take place in busy city locations, slow-moving dense traffic is sure to be the worst-case scenario with many vehicles nearby triggering another warning.
4 Disc Brakes - High-Performance Braking We Wouldn't Be Without
Faster cars led to the adoption of the now common disc brake, offering better heat dissipation than traditional drum setups. Drums with their enclosed design are unable to cool the friction material as efficiently leading to loss of performance known as brake fade.
Disc design also allows for a much greater braking surface, often cross-drilled and vented to increase their performance advantage without increasing their overall size. Modern brakes along with modern tires are the most crucial safety feature of any car.
3 Chimes, Beeps, Bongs - Annoying Warning Tones
Everyone forgets something once in a while, but carmakers have gotten into the habit of thinking we are all alike and have various warning tones for different indiscretions. Some for safety reasons are acceptable, forgetting your seatbelt is a good example, other cars with warning chimes to remind you to close the door is just too much.
Proving that owners are not all the same, most will report failure to respond to one of the many annoying chimes for long enough results in the system giving up.
2 Crumple Zones - Reduced Deceleration We Wouldn't Be Without
All modern car designs are rigorously tested in simulated crash tests to determine the level of survivability in the event of a collision, the resulting data is analyzed to improve crash protection. Designers aware of the testing create crumple zones to reduce sudden deceleration giving the occupants of a car a great chance of escaping unharmed. Traveling at 30mph an average 160lb adult properly restrained will experience a deceleration of 30g, significantly lower than a vehicle without inbuilt crumple zones.
Very few cars involved in collisions ever make it back to the road, with insurance companies deeming the vehicle unroadworthy, crumple zones may result in the loss of the car but the increased survivability far outweighs the cost.
1 Self Driving Cars - Annoyingly Pointless
Carmakers are spending millions of dollars on developing self-driving cars, but any respectable gearhead buys a car for the driving pleasure not to sit back and leave a bunch of microchips doing all the work. Many of the "options" that carmakers think we want are steps towards self-driving cars, driving should be about freedom and pleasure.
New York City boasts over 13,000 yellow cabs making it easy to get around by car without driving. No expensive purchase price, no maintenance costs, no garaging, just hail and ride. Anyone needing to make a longer trip without driving, take a bus, train, or plane.