Active and passive safety systems – How are these different?

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Safety System

Modern-day vehicles are superior to its predecessors in safety features which is a reason for its high cost. Every vehicle uses advanced technology to incorporate state of the art safety features that keep the passengers safe with an extra layer of protection. The more active safety features are present in vehicles, the higher is the safety. There are passive safety features that lend completeness to the safety systems. In this context, it is crucial to understand the difference between active vs passive safety regarding motor vehicles. The safety features are those that help to prevent accidents, and passive safety features protect the driver and passengers during a collision.

Active safety systems

Active safety systems aim at preventing accidents, and these remain active. When the vehicle is in motion so that it can effectively encounter situations to reduce the chances of accidents. Most active safety features are electronically driven and have computerized controls. They include stability control, traction control, and also braking systems. It also includes advanced driver assist systems comprising of sensors like lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise control.

  • The safety systems are visible in the brakes consisting of forwarding Automatic Braking and Front Pedestrian Braking. That can detect a possible collision and automatically apply the brakes before the collision happens.
  • Various types of alerts like lane departure warnings, rear cross-traffic alerts, side blind zone alert, and many other alerts help the driver to avoid falling into a ground blinds spot that can cause an accident.
  • Cameras provided in cars can produce high definition images that give an image of the surroundings, including the rear vision and also mirror cameras that provide a 360-degree view to the driver.

Passive safety features

Even the car with the best active safety features might not be able to prevent accidents but can considerably reduce the incidents. However, admitting the fact that accidents can happen, vehicle makers deploy passive safety systems that activate only when called for. Usually, passive safety systems become active in the event of a collision and work toward reducing the damages and risk of injury during the impact. Airbags and seat belts are the most visible examples of a passive safety system, and some of the systems remain invisible as these are embedded within the vehicle. The overall construction of the vehicle also plays a significant role in imparting passive safety features to the vehicle.

Although active safety systems appear to be more important, the complementary functions of the passive safety system ensure total vehicle safety. Only when there is a right balance between active safety systems and passive safety systems, the overall safety of the vehicle improves. The passive elements of safety offer added protection in circumstances when accidents are unavoidable, and the secondary protection has saved many lives which underlines its importance.

Some of the passive safety systems like seat belts and airbags are very basic without which no vehicle can operate because it is a legal requirement too. Safety is most important for automakers no one can dare to compromise with it.