Safety advocate and championship-winning racing driver Andy Pilgrim shows you the advantages and limitations of a wide array of automotive safety features, helping you make a more qualified purchase decision.

Parking sensors are proximity sensors for road vehicles designed to alert the driver of obstacles while parking and sometimes driving. These systems use either electromagnetic or ultrasonic sensors. Safety advocate and championship-winning racing driver Andy Pilgrim shows you the simplest way to keep them functional, by simply clearing them of obstructions.

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems allow your car to maintain a desired speed until it encounters slower-moving traffic. ACC will accelerate or brake to maintain a set distance from the car ahead. 

Automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems detect an impending forward crash with another vehicle in time to avoid or mitigate the crash. ... If the driver's response is not sufficient to avoid the crash, the AEB system may automatically apply the brakes to assist in preventing or reducing the severity of a crash. 

Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) help you steer in emergencies by restoring traction to your tires. What It Does: Helps prevent wheels from locking up – possibly allowing the driver to steer to safety. 

Many factors affect how short a vehicle's stopping distance from environment and weather conditions to speed.

Lane Departure Warning systems use a camera to monitor lane markings and detect when a vehicle is drifting out of its lane of traffic. When it detects that a vehicle is veering out of its lane, an audio, visual, or other alert warns the driver of the unintentional lane shifts so the driver can steer the vehicle back into its lane. 

Lane Departure Warning systems use a camera to monitor lane markings and detect when a vehicle is drifting out of its lane of traffic. When it detects that a vehicle is veering out of its lane, an audio, visual, or other alert warns the driver of the unintentional lane shifts so the driver can steer the vehicle back into its lane. 

Pedestrian detection technologies use a variety of “eyes”—cameras, radar, and other sensors—to allow cars to “see” what's happening on the roads around them. The systems process that information and can respond, often faster than a human driver, when a crash appears imminent. 

Electronic Stability Control and Stability Systems use the speed sensors on each wheel and the ability to brake individual wheels that are the basis of anti-lock brakes.  

This feature coordinates the car's position, via GPS and/or speedometer, with a database of speed limit information to alert drivers if they're speeding. This helps drivers maintain a safe driving speed. 

A TPMS reports real-time tire-pressure information to the driver of the vehicle, either via a gauge, a pictogram display, or a simple low-pressure warning light. 

Varied in placement, color and functionality, these indicator lights and dials tell the story of your vehicles functioning. 

Push button start cars use a keyless ignition system. ... This ID signal is unique to that vehicle; once the fob is inside the car and you press the button, the car's receiver picks up the signal and sends power to start the engine.

Auto Stop/Start Technology automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a full stop and idles for more than a few seconds. Once the driver puts pressure on the accelerator, then the engine turns back on.

Helps prevent roll-back when starting up again from a stopped position on an incline. Assists in keeping a car from rolling backward when stopped on a hill.

When on, the vehicle will descend using the anti-lock braking system (ABS) to control each wheel's speed. If the vehicle accelerates without driver input, the system will automatically apply the brakes to slow down to the desired vehicle speed. Cruise control buttons can adjust the speed to a comfortable level. Applying pressure to the accelerator or brake pedal will override the HDC system when the driver requires.

When you put your car into Reverse, a camera mounted at the rear of the vehicle turns on and sends an image to a monitor to show what's behind you.

This feature can detect drowsy driving and alert you to take a break if it suspects you’re drowsy. Common versions of this feature do this by tracking how often you depart from the center of your lane over a set period of time.

Auto parking assist is an autonomous car-maneuvering system that moves a vehicle from a traffic lane into a parking spot to perform parallel, perpendicular, or angle parking.

A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous vehicle (AV), driverless car, or robo-car is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and moving safely with little or no human input.

Safety advocate and championship-winning racing driver Andy Pilgrim concludes this presentation on Vehicle Driver Aid Technology Today.