"Automotive safety is the study and practice of automotive design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles."
This subfield deals with the design and development of systems and technologies that enhance the safety of the driver, passengers, and other road users.
Automotive Safety Standards: This topic explores global safety standards that regulate car design and manufacture to improve road safety and reduce fatalities.
Crash Testing: Here, the focus is on the methods used to evaluate the safety of vehicles, including crash tests, rollover tests, and impact testing.
Vehicle Dynamics: This topic discusses the principles of vehicle dynamics, which describe vehicle motion and how various factors affect braking, steering, and handling.
Active Safety Systems: Here, you'll learn about the technologies integrated into vehicles to prevent accidents, such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning systems.
Passive Safety Systems: This topic addresses the systems designed to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a crash, such as airbags, seat belts, and crumple zones.
Human Factors in Automotive Safety: Here, you'll explore the role of human psychology in traffic accidents, including factors like driver fatigue, impairment, and distraction.
Vehicle Design and Engineering: This topic covers the various design and engineering considerations made to enhance vehicle safety, including body structure, fuel systems, and suspension design.
International Regulatory Bodies: Here, you'll examine the various bodies responsible for establishing and enforcing automotive safety standards throughout the world.
Crash Avoidance: This topic explores methods for avoiding crashes, such as the use of advanced driver assistance systems to detect and respond to hazards.
Legal and Liability Issues: Finally, this topic covers the legal and liability implications of automotive safety, including product liability, negligence, and insurance considerations.
Airbags: A cushioning device that inflates rapidly during a collision to protect passengers from injury.
Seatbelts: A safety device designed to hold the occupant in place while the vehicle is in motion.
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS): A safety system that prevents the wheels from locking during emergency braking.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC): A system that helps prevent skidding and loss of vehicle control by reducing engine power and applying individual brakes.
Blind Spot Detection: A system that uses sensors to detect if there is a vehicle in the driver's blind spot, and warns the driver.
Lane Departure Warning: A system that alerts the driver when the vehicle is drifting out of its lane.
Forward Collision Warning: A system that detects an imminent collision with an object or vehicle in its path, and warns the driver.
Backup camera: A camera mounted on the rear of the vehicle that helps the driver see behind the vehicle while backing up.
Pedestrian Detection: A system that uses sensors to detect the presence of pedestrians, and warns the driver of a potential collision.
Adaptive Cruise Control: A cruise control system that adjusts the speed of the vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle and the object in front of it.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System: A system that continuously monitors the air pressure in the vehicle's tires, and alerts the driver if the pressure drops below a certain level.
Automatic Emergency Braking: A system that applies the brakes automatically if a collision is deemed imminent and the driver hasn't responded.
Night Vision: A system that uses infrared technology to detect objects beyond the range of the headlights.
Collision Mitigation System: A system that reduces the severity of a collision if one occurs by reducing the speed of the vehicle.
Head-Up Display: A feature that projects important information onto the windshield in the driver's line of sight.
Lane Keeping Assist: A system that helps keep the vehicle in its lane by providing gentle steering inputs.
Adaptive headlights: Headlights that adjust their beam pattern based on the speed of the vehicle and the direction it is turning.
Cross-Traffic Assist: A system that warns the driver of oncoming traffic while reversing out of a parking space.
Drowsiness Detection: A system that monitors driver behavior, such as steering inputs and eye movements, to detect signs of drowsiness.
Collision Avoidance System: A system that uses a combination of sensors and cameras to detect potential collisions and takes evasive action to avoid them.
"One of the first formal academic studies into improving motor vehicle safety was by Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory of Buffalo, New York."
"The main conclusion of their extensive report is the crucial importance of seat belts and padded dashboards."
"The primary vector of traffic-related deaths and injuries is the disproportionate mass and velocity of an automobile compared to that of the predominant victim, the pedestrian."
"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of cars sold in the world are not compliant with main safety standards."
"Only 40 countries have adopted the full set of the seven most important regulations for car safety."
"In the United States, a pedestrian is injured by a motor vehicle every 8 minutes."
"Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than a vehicle's occupants to be killed in a motor vehicle crash per outing."
"Auto collisions are the leading cause of injury-related deaths, an estimated total of 1.2 million in 2004, or 25% of the total from all causes."
"Of those killed by autos, nearly two-thirds are pedestrians."
"Together for Safer Roads (TSR) brings together global private sector companies, across industries, to collaborate on improving road safety."
"The autonomous car is expected to be safer than existing vehicles, by eliminating the single most dangerous element - the driver."
"Some ninety percent of motor vehicle crashes are caused at least in part by human error."
"Safety standards like the ISO 26262 specify the required safety."
"...it is still a burden on the industry to demonstrate acceptable safety."
"Improvements in roadway and motor vehicle designs have steadily reduced injury and death rates in all first world countries."
"Risk compensation theory has been used in arguments against safety devices, regulations, and modifications of vehicles despite the efficacy of saving lives."
"The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School claims that..."
"TSR brings together members' knowledge, data, technology, and global networks to focus on five road safety areas that will make an impact globally and within local communities."
"The rising trend of autonomous things is largely driven by the move towards the autonomous car, that both addresses the main existing safety issues and creates new issues."