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There are many ways to prevent car accidents.
And today, we're going to be exploring
some of the technological advances designed
to save people's lives.
Look at a modern car, and you'll see
it's brimming with all sorts of high tech features designed
to make your driving experience safer.
But in some cases, it's been an uphill battle
getting car manufacturers to make these features standard.
We'll hear more about those efforts in a moment.
First, auto technician Ryan Pszczolkowski
showed me what a lifesaver some of this tech can be
and why you should look for it when shopping for a car.
So Jack, imagine you're driving down the road,
and the driver is really distracted.
[ALERT TONE]
Whoa, what's going on?
[TIRES SCREECHING]
Oh.
Whew.
Would you believe that I didn't step on the brake pedal?
You're kidding me.
This car has automatic emergency braking and forward collision
warning.
So I don't know if you heard that audible tone
before we stopped.
Like some sort of beep.
Yeah, to get your attention.
[ALERT TONE]
It lets you know there's something ahead of you
going at a much slower rate and you're getting closer quickly.
So how does that work.
This car has radar and cameras that
are sensing an object in the road in front of you.
Basically, it knows that you're not
going to stop in time on your own,
and it stops the car for you.
This has to be one of the best features you can have in a car.
Is it standard in every car?
Not yet.
This is a new technology.
It takes time.
We would like to see this in all cars.
That's how to avoid hitting what's in front of you.
But our next safety feature is all about
avoiding hitting what's behind you.
Take a look behind me.
Can you see anything back there?
Just the trees and the grass.
Now check this out.
Hey, cones.
Yeah.
I couldn't see those.
We were all the way almost middle of the road there,
and you couldn't see those cones with your own eyes.
Backup camera-- we were able to see it the whole way.
All new cars now come equipped with rear-view cameras,
and advocates are hopeful this new standard will
reduce the amount of back over accidents.
Before the requirement was in place,
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
estimated that around 300 people were killed
and another 18,000 people were injured during back
over accidents each year.
Finally, Ryan wants to demonstrate a safety feature
you may have never heard of.
It's called Electronic Stability Control,
and it might be the most important feature of them all.
Jack, I'm going to warn you.
You're either going to love this or hate it.
I don't know if I like the sound of this Ryan.
All right Ryan, I'm a little scared.
Well, I'm going to show you what ESC is--
Electronic Stability Control.
The system keeps your vehicle on the road with sensors.
The car has a steering wheel sensor.
There's a yaw rate sensor.
And then you have wheel speed sensors.
And it will actually apply breaks
at different corners of the vehicle
to straighten us back out.
It stays under control.
The car has been modified so this all important safety
feature can be turned off.
For our first run, I get a firsthand look
at what it can do.
We're going to go through at about 50 miles an hour.
Should I brace myself?
Yes.
Yes, you should.
Oh.
Ooh, whoa.
Oh.
Oh, man.
Oh.
That was pretty crazy but exhilarating at the same time.
What happened there was this course mimics,
you know, a child running out from one side of the road.
I have to swerve.
I'm in the opposite oncoming traffic lane.
I was able to swerve and safely get back
into that lane without the car fish tailing.
The car was very grounded.
And I have I never felt that I was in any position of danger.
Now that we've seen the lifesaving power of ESC,
it's time to try the same run at the same speed with ESC
turned off.
So what's going to be the difference?
You're going to find out in two seconds.
OK.
Here we go.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Umph.
So--
Wow.
Thank goodness for the ESC.
What many people don't know is how hard
fought the battle has been to get
car makers to install these safety features as standard.
To find out more about that, I met with Consumer Reports CEO
Marta Tellado.
I was just at the auto test track.
Wow.
So what'd you learn out there?
So much.
I learned how the right car safety features really count.
We have a lot of work to do informing consumers
about the safety features, but we
can't stop there because we wanted everybody to be safe.
So why is it so important to test car safety features?
We spend a lot of time in cars-- maybe too much time.
But what we know is that 37,000 people die every year
in automobile accidents.
What our testers have experienced firsthand though,
is that there are certain safety features that can reduce those
crashes because everyone should be safe in their car.
Have you personally found the features to be very helpful?
Every day.
Having that backup camera gives you that extra added confidence
you need when you're backing up, and for years we
said that that should be standard.
Today, it is standard in every car.
There was a time when even belts were optional.
Of course, they have to be installed in cars now.
Marta says it's time for people to think about these high tech
safety features in the same way.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
Marta, I just noticed you don't have anything to drink.
Want me to get you something?
I'd love some water.
Do you know where that is?
Uh, yeah, I think--
I'm so sorry.
I think I need a backup camera for life.
I think it's a pretty good idea, Jack.
I'll be right back.
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