No matter if you’re shopping around for a commuter or a family vehicle, you’ll surely want your new ride to be equipped with safety functions. Sure, every brand crams amenities into their new rides, but how many of these vehicles are actually dependable? Well, if you’ve been shopping around for a Ford dealership, you’re apparently on the right track. Ford’s engineers continually managed to produce some of the safest vehicles in the entire industry, and this sentiment can be directly attributed to all of the safety functions included in their vehicles. The majority of these offerings tend to help drivers avoid accidents from occurring altogether, although some of them will play a role in protecting occupants in the event of a crash.
Below, we’ve explored some of Ford’s most notable safety functions, which should clue you in as to how safe the brand’s vehicles actually are.
Adaptive Cruise Control
We all need a break, especially when we’re stuck in rush hour traffic. That’s not always possible when you’re operating any old vehicle, but thanks to the Adaptive Cruise Control system that’s included in many of Ford’s rides, you’ll have the ability to take a brief rest.
The system serves as a standard cruise control system, but it can adapt to the flow of traffic. Therefore, your Ford vehicle can easily speed up or slow down when necessary. Plus, thanks to the Lane Centering function, your Ford will assure that you’re remaining between the lane markings at all times.
We’re still years away from fully autonomous vehicles. However, for the time being, Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control is a perfectly respectable alternative.
Evasive Steering Assist
We’ve all been in this situation: a car in front of you suddenly stops short, forcing you to either collide into them or dangerously swerve to avoid the accident. Due to the inclusion of Ford’s Evasive Steering Assist system, this will no longer be a concern.
When a collision appears to be imminent or inevitable, the vehicle will provide additional steering support to keep you out of harm’s way. If braking can’t remedy the impending danger, then drivers will recognize that their Ford’s steering is more intuitive than usual. Of course, it’s important to note that the vehicle won’t take control of your steering, but it will at least optimize the Ford’s mechanics to keep you as safe as possible.
Blind Spot Information Center
When you’re traveling at high speeds, it can be tough monitoring everything that’s happening around your car. Fortunately, the Blind Spot Information Center will provide drivers with an extra set of eyes, allowing them to avoid devastating collisions when traveling at high speeds.
The Blind Spot Information System can determine when another vehicle has snuck up beside you. The vehicle will subsequently alert the operator of the other driver’s presence via visual cues on the sideview mirror. This way, you’ll understand when it’s safe or unsafe to switch lanes.
Meanwhile, the accompany Cross-Traffic Alert will be particularly useful when you’re traveling in a parking lot. Instead of gambling and suddenly reversing out of a tight parking spot, the Ford will alert the driver when a vehicle, person, or object is about to cross behind their ride. With both audible and visual warnings, drivers should be able to avoid an impending fender bender.
Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking
If a collision appears to be imminent, few drivers have enough time (nor the reflexes) to adapt accordingly. As a result, they find themselves slamming into the vehicle in front of them. Predictably, this is less than ideal.
Fortunately, the Pre-Collision Assist system can detect when a collision is imminent, whether it be with another vehicle, a pedestrian, or a stationary object. The technology will first alert the driver via audible and visual cues, providing them with enough time to adjust their path.
However, there may be situations where the driver doesn’t have enough time to react to these warnings. In that case, the accompanying Automatic Emergency Braking will have your back. The system can automatically slow down your vehicle if a collision appears to be imminent, thus keeping you and your passengers out of harm’s way. This might not be enough to prevent the accident altogether, but it should at least help to lessen the impact.
Rear View Camera
Few drivers actually recognize this amenity as a safety feature, but it could play a significant role in helping drivers to avoid accidents altogether.
Accessible via the touchscreen infotainment system, drivers can rely on this feature to monitor everything that’s happening behind their vehicle. This will prove to be especially useful when you’re in a parking lot. It can be difficult to see all of your surroundings, and drivers usually have to strain their neck in order to see what’s happening behind their ride. Fortunately, the Rear View Camera will allow the driver to anticipate any vehicle or pedestrian that’s about to cross their path.
Personal Safety System
While all of the previously-mentioned safety functions generally impact a driver’s ability to avoid collisions, Ford has also found ways to keep occupants protected. In the unlikely event that you do find yourself in a collision while operating a Ford vehicle, you can rest easy knowing that your nameplate will have your back.
Specifically, the Personal Safety System is intended to keep all occupants protected in the event of an emergency. The extensive airbag system (which includes driver and front-passenger dual-stage front airbags) will provide the necessary amount of cushion during a crash. Meanwhile, all of Ford’s vehicles are composed of strong, durable materials, and they’ll be able to absorb the majority of a collision’s energy, thus keeping it away from the driver and passengers.
Thanks to Ford’s preventative safety functions, you’re unlikely to find yourself in an accident to begin with. However, if you do, the Personal Safety System will do everything in its power to keep your protected.
Ford Pass
This inclusion is a bit of a stretch, but just stay with us… you’ll recognize how this feature can influence safety.
The FordPass smartphone application allows owners to stay connected to their Ford at all times. Whether you’re at work, in the house, or at some other remote location, you’ll always be able to keep tabs on your vehicle.
So how does this influence safety? Well, if you forgot to lock your doors, there’s a chance that a thief may sneak up and easily break into your ride. Who knows what they’d end up stealing, and there’s a chance they could end up compromising some aspect of your vehicle’s mechanics. Thanks to the application, drivers can remotely lock or unlock their doors, allowing them to keep their Ford secure at all times.
Meanwhile, the application allows drivers to monitor vehicle diagnostics, and they can also view their upcoming service schedule. This is important information, and the FordPass will assure that you never accidentally go without some crucial, necessary repairs.
Thanks to the array of preventative, protective, and remote safety functions, Ford’s vehicles are among some of the most dependable offerings in the entire industry. Therefore, if you’re shopping around at a Ford dealership near Troy, NY, you can rest easy knowing that all of your targets will prove to be excellent options.