Car safety jargon explained
ABS
ABS stands for Anti-lock Braking System. This important
technology helps you to avoid skidding when braking suddenly, by
preventing your wheels from locking and allowing you to maintain
control of the car.
Active head restraints
During a rear-end crash, active head restraints move forward and
up, so that there is less space between your head and the back of
the seat. This means that when your head falls back against the
head rest, it will have built up less speed and the impact will be
reduced.
Airbags
Airbags are large inflated cushions that instantaneously inflate
in a crash situation, protecting you from hitting the inside of the
car. Driver-side, passenger and side-impact cars are all
available.
EBD
An additional feature of some ABS systems, Electronic Brakeforce
Technology balances the front and rear brakes by automatically
varies the amount of force applied to each according to road
conditions, speed and other factors.
ESC or ESP
ESC stands for Electronic Stability Control (sometimes referred
to as Electronic Stability Program or ESP), which works to prevent
sideways skidding when making sharp steering corrections and on
slippery surfaces.
Seat belt reminders
Seat belt reminders are visual and audible warnings that alert
you if you’ve forgotten to put your seat belt on.
Seat belt pretensioners
Seat belt pretensioners pull in on the belt in an event of a
crash, holding you secure in your seat so you don’t fall
forward.
Three-point seat belts
The revolutionary three-point seat belt was introduced over 50
years ago, so pretty much all vehicles on the road today have them.
Three-point seat belts are designed to spread impact forces more
evenly across your torso and keep your upper body in place in a
crash situation.
Traction Control
Traction control technology helps maintain vehicle stability
when too much power is applied to the accelerator and on slippery
roads.
