New cars sport new safety features

Many New York residents may be interested to hear about recent advancements in car safety technology. Whereas in the past car safety features focused on keeping a car's occupants safe in the event of an accident, new technologies like crash avoidance systems and backup cameras hope to help drivers avoid some types of auto accidents completely.

A senior analyst with Kelly Blue Book believes that crash avoidance systems are the most essential safety technology added to cars since seat belts and stability control. These systems, which have been mainly options on high-priced cars but are now appearing in mid-priced models, are capable of warning a driver if a front-end collision is imminent. Some cars even have auto-brake functions that can apply the brakes automatically to avoid a crash.

Backup cameras are cameras placed in the rear of vehicle that allow the driver to see more of what's behind them when they back up. This is especially useful to parents with young children. Accidents where someone behind a car goes unseen and is ran over as a driver backs up account for 292 deaths and 18,000 injuries on average each year.