Modern cars are equipped with impressive technology that you may not have in your car at home such as a touchscreen heads-up display (HUD), internal satnavs, and media players! But most notably, they will include new driver assist technology that can impact your driving.
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Adaptive Cruise Control | Lane assistance | Parking and manoeuvring sensors | Stability control and automatic emergency braking | Blind spot sensors | Eco-friendly driving | Additional features
New driving safety features
From 2022 mandatory regulations have been imposed on car manufacturers for the inclusion of safety and driver assist technology. The safety technology is also known as the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Car rental providers regularly replenish their fleets throughout the year meaning you are likely to rent with newer technology and an Advanced Driver Assistance System.
What are the features of an Advanced Driver Assistance System
When picking up your rental car, ask your provider if there are any driver assist features active on the vehicle. Here are the common features that you will find in an ADAS:
Adaptive Cruise Control
Newer cars will often come with automations that make your driving experience smoother! Features like Adaptive Cruise Control automatically adjust the speed of your vehicle to maintain a safe distance from the car ahead of you. This works in both fast and slow-moving traffic which can reduce the stress of constant acceleration and braking. Most cruise control systems use a forward-facing camera mounted at the top of the windscreen by the rear-view mirror (same sensors used for lane assistance).
Lane assistance
Lane-keep assistance is a new feature that can surprise you if you’ve never driven a modern car. Lane-keep assists drivers by having a visual/noise/vibration alert if you begin slowly drifting into a neighbouring lane. In other cases, a small amount of steering will be automatically applied to move the vehicle back within its lane. This can be noticeable when turning round tight bends or driving on motorways so don’t panic! Keep in mind that the technology for this can vary based on your car model and usually can be switched off on your HUD. Ask your car rental provider for more details before picking up your car.
Parking and manoeuvring sensors
Modern cars have parking assist systems to help with tricky manoeuvres, parallel parking, and squeezing into tight spaces! Cameras and sensors will either assist through noise alerts when you get close to an obstruction or via a live rear camera display with on-screen guidelines. These should come on automatically when you switch the vehicle into reverse.
Stability control and automatic emergency braking
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a recent development that can operate your brakes and reduce the acceleration if the sensors detect your car is losing stability or is at risk of skidding. Studies have even found that this feature could drastically reduce future car accidents! A less common but still emerging feature is Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) which alerts drivers of an oncoming collision or pedestrian. If the driver fails to brake in time, the car will automatically perform an emergency stop.
Blind spot sensors
Attempting a lane change only to notice someone in your blind spot can be heart stopping… Modern vehicles with driver assist technology can include blind spot sensors that have a visual/noise/vibration alert if you begin turning when something is in your blind spot. Other car models display a small light in the appropriate wing mirror to indicate an obstruction.
Eco-friendly driving
In addition to safety and convenience, newer cars can have eco-driving features that encourage fuel-efficient driving habits. Live feedback of your acceleration and braking is shown on your HUD, promoting smoother driving and lower fuel consumption. When renting a modern car, you can reduce your carbon footprint while enjoying the benefits of innovative driver assist technology.
Additional features
Some new car models include active headlights which adapt your headlight beam to the direction you’re steering. More advanced systems even dim your headlights if an oncoming driver is detected in the road ahead. In addition to safety features, modern cars can detect maintenance needed to prevent damage or poor handling. Tyre-pressure monitoring systems will alert you on the HUD if a specific tyre is over or under inflated.
And these features only just scratch the surface! They are many other features that you may discover in varying car models as well as technology that’s still in development for the future. Check out this video on an Advanced Driver Assistance System in action:
Renting a modern car with Zest
Renting a new car will not be as high tech as it may sound, you won’t be piloting a UFO! Despite the inclusion of high-tech safety features, modern cars are still manufactured to be accessible for all drivers of any age! Bear in mind that not all these systems will not yet be included in every new car. Safety features can vary depending on the model/manufacturer.
If you have any questions or concerns about the type of car you are renting, feel free to contact our team and we’ll be more than happy to help.
This was useful information that helps prepare me for my next hire in July, thank you.
Thanks to Jake but a week too late for us. My husband keeps telling me the car has faulty steering. Still, good to know for our remaining week.
Lane assists are no help and should be disabled, the feedback through the steering wheel is horrible and makes you over compensate.
I always turn it off, but other features are ok.
I drive for living so I’m used to all the hidden extras you get in cars and vans .
I have noticed lane assist creeping in and I always make sure to turn it off. I can’t stand the wheel being tugged about if I pull out to avoid a cyclist. In fact I don’t want the steering wheel doing anything unexpected when I am driving. It is potentially as dangerous as your passenger reaching over to “correct” your driving, especially if you don’t know it’s a feature on the vehicle. The other features are helpful.
Well done for publishing this useful guide to the new tech aids on new cars. I was terrified when the Peugeot I rented started to correct itself if it thought that I was wandering, particularly if I wanted to go in the direction which the car thought was wrong.
Your customers need to be alerted to these issues when they have their booking confirmed so I suggest that you add something to your “useful tips” section.