How does my car keep me safe? - Car safety features explained

The complete guide to your car's safety features

Want to know how your car keeps you safe? Confused between AEB and ABS and ESC? Look no further than our list of the most important modern car safety features.

The days of having to crank the engine to get your car started and receiving a speeding ticket for tearing down the road at a whopping 8mph (four times the 1896 2mph speed limit) are long over.

Today’s phenomenal advances in technology mean phenomenal advances in safety – which is particularly important no we’re more reliant on our cars.

While charities like Brake educate the public on road safety, manufacturers continually develop new technologies to not only mitigate collision effects, but to avoid them entirely.

Car safety splits into two camps:

• Passive safety protects occupants if a crash can't be avoided – including crash zones (where the car body crumples to absorb energy), airbags and seatbelts
• Active safety helps your car intervene before a crash happens. This technology has come on leaps and bounds, and it's only getting smarter

Modern cars are packed with safety features – some legal requirements, others optional – so it's important to understand what's on offer.

Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) is a fantastic resource for checking car safety. This independent organisation improves car safety through its five-star rating system, making it easy to compare different models.

Many new vehicles achieve the full five-star rating thanks to incredible advances in safety tech. New cars are much safer than past models – and one of the best benefits of car leasing is accessing the latest safety advancements.

Each vehicle gets a five-star rating plus percentage scores for adult and child protection, pedestrian safety, and available safety features. This gives you a comprehensive breakdown of crash test performance across all areas.

You’ll find the overall NCAP rating and performance in all four NCAP categories - adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist - listed on all our car lease deals.

We’ve grouped all modern safety features into three categories. Active safety, where features all work together to help prevent crashes; passive safety, which all help to protect you during a crash; and finally driver assistance: which do what they say on the tin, just general support while driving.

Active safety 

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) uses sensors and cameras to monitor the road ahead, alerting you to potential collisions.

Can’t react in time? No worries – AEB automatically performs an emergency stop and can prevent crashes at lower speeds.

Experts have hailed it as one of the most important safety features since the seatbelt. However, there are different levels – more basic versions only work at slower speeds.

Most cars now have AEB fitted as standard, though some models offer it as an option or allow you to upgrade to a more sophisticated system.

Adaptive cruise control (ACC)                              

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) takes conventional cruise control one step further, using radars to maintain a set distance from the car ahead.

If that car slows down, the system automatically matches their speed. When they pull away, it accelerates back to your pre-set speed.

More advanced systems work in slow-moving traffic, bringing the car to a complete stop before setting off again.

Blind spot warning

Using radars or cameras, blind-spot warning systems reduce the likelihood of accidents when changing lanes by alerting you to vehicles lurking in your blind spot.

Warnings usually appear as lights on your wing mirrors, with many systems adding an audible alert if you don’t notice and attempt to change lanes anyway.

More sophisticated systems can even brake for you, or steer the vehicle back to the centre of the lane.

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Electronic stability control is software that reduces the chance of skidding and losing control. It detects when the car starts to skid during turns, then either applies brakes to individual wheels or reduces power to correct the skid and keep you heading in the right direction.

This once luxury feature became standard and a legal requirement in 2014.

Manufacturers use different names – Audi and Volkswagen call it Electronic Stability Program, BMW and MINI use Dynamic Stability Control, Honda calls it Vehicle Stability Assist, and Volvo uses Dynamic Stability Traction Control.

If it's got 'stability' in the name, you're all good.

Lane-keeping technology

Lane-keeping technology has been around for several years to prevent you from straying from your lane.

Basic lane departure warning systems alert you if you get too close to the white line without indicating. This might be an audio or visual alert, or a gentle vibration through the steering wheel.

More sophisticated systems, often called Lane Keep Assist, can gently guide your car back into its lane.

Active lane-keeping is often bundled with adaptive cruise control on higher-end models. Combined, these features take some burden off long motorway drives – but they aren’t autonomous driving. Not yet.

Traction control

This electronically controlled system limits wheel spin during acceleration, ensuring maximum traction.

Most useful when starting off in wet or icy conditions, it’s also helpful with high-horsepower engines. Some systems work only at low speeds, others at all speeds – so it’s worth knowing how yours operates.

Most systems use antilock brakes to momentarily stop a spinning wheel, routing power to the opposite wheel. Others throttle back the engine or upshift transmission to avoid wheel spin.

Driver attention/drowsiness monitoring

Driver attention systems monitor your driving patterns and behaviour to detect signs of fatigue or distraction.

Using steering input sensors and sometimes cameras, they can spot erratic steering, lane drifting or reduced reaction times.

When drowsiness is detected, it alerts you with visual or audio warnings, suggesting it could be time to take a break and grab a coffee.

Pre-collision systems/pre-safe

Pre-collision systems prepare your car for an imminent crash when emergency braking or collision detection is triggered.

They automatically tighten seatbelts, adjust seats to optimal positions, close windows and sunroof, and sometimes even apply partial braking.

This prep work helps maximise the effectiveness of other safety systems during impact.

Rear cross-traffic alert

When reversing out of parking spaces, this system uses radar sensors to detect approaching vehicles from either side that you might not see in your mirrors.

It provides audio and visual warnings if a car is approaching from your blind spots, helping prevent collisions in car parks and driveways.

Passive safety

Airbags

One of the older pieces of safety kit, front airbags have been standard on all new cars since 1998.

They use crash sensors connected to an onboard computer, detecting front-on collisions and triggering the bags to stop you hitting the windscreen.

Airbag technology has improved over the years, with dual-stage airbags triggering different responses for crashes of varying severity. Seat-mounted side airbags are now standard for front passengers, while knee airbags protect your lower limbs and pelvis.

Covered from all angles.

Seatbelts

Seatbelts remain one of the most important safety features in a vehicle.

Compulsory in all new cars since 1983, the main design hasn't changed, but seatbelt technology has developed.

Seatbelt pre-tensioners remove slack during a collision (or hard braking), keeping you fixed in your seat. Load-limiters then prevent injury by allowing the belt to stretch ever so slightly during the crash, limiting the force placed on you.

Smart seatbelt reminders are also valuable – they sense if someone’s occupying a seat without wearing their belt and alert the driver.

Head restraints

Poorly designed or adjusted head restraints cause many whiplash injuries.

Good restraints should be adjustable for all heights, with the top sitting level with your head and positioned just an inch away.

This prevents your head flinging too far backwards if you're shunted from behind.

Strong body shell

What’s a turtle without its shell?

The car's exterior is the starting point for road safety – a well-designed body shell resists and dissipates crash forces, providing better protection for you and your loved ones.

Use the Euro NCAP database for crash test scores and detailed safety breakdowns of any car you're considering.

Pedestrian protection

New cars are built with driver, passenger and pedestrian safety in mind.

Vehicles with ‘pedestrian-friendly’ front ends reduce injury severity should a crash occur with an unfortunate pedestrian.

Smart designs reduce the likelihood of hitting hard points like A-pillars or engine block. Manufacturers use techniques including pop-up bonnets and deformable bumpers to achieve this.

ISOFIX child seat mounts

ISOFIX is a child seat fitting system using mounting points built into car seats, rather than relying on seatbelts. It’s become the accepted standard, with most manufacturers fitting them as standard or as an option in new models.

The main benefit is ease of use – making seats much easier to install with less room for error.

Driver assistance

Speed limiting devices

Many cars with cruise control also come with a feature to prevent driving above a set speed.

These can usually be set to any speed and gently reduce power when reached. However, most deactivate if you floor the accelerator, allowing you to react to situations.

Tyre pressure monitoring systems

Incorrect tyre pressure – whether under or over-inflated – can affect handling and potentially cause collisions.

Tyre pressure monitoring systems warn of incorrect pressures, helping you maintain them. There are two types: direct and indirect.

Direct systems use sensors inside each tyre to measure pressure, sending dashboard warnings when needed.

Indirect systems use ABS sensors to monitor wheel speed. If one wheel runs at a different speed, the system assumes this indicates pressure changes and sends a warning.

Visibility aids (including 360-degree cameras)

Modern cars face a design conflict – visibility vs safety.

Stronger cabins better withstand serious crashes, but good visibility from the driver’s seat makes a big difference. Many newer cars choose poorer visibility and oversized pillars, compensating with cameras and proximity sensors to warn about obstacles you can’t see.

More advanced systems use 360-degree cameras to create a ‘top-down’ view, helping you reverse into the tightest parking spaces.

Modern car safety has come a long way – which we’re very thankful for. Today’s vehicles are packed with clever technology designed to keep you, your passengers and everyone else on the road safe.

From active safety features that prevent crashes before they happen, to passive safety systems that protect you if the worst occurs, plus driver assistance tech that makes every journey easier – there’s never been a safer time to be on the roads.

When you’re choosing your next car lease, look for vehicles with high Euro NCAP ratings and the latest safety features.

After all, getting from A to B should be about the journey, not the worries.