How new safety features could help prevent all types of car accidents

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Whether you’re backing out of your driveway or a crowded parking lot, it’s easy to lose track of kids running around. Nowadays, advanced technology can act as a second set of eyes for you.

“As fast as we can try to react, the car is even faster,” Capital Nissan of Wilmington’s David Fisher said.

All it takes is a few seconds for an accident to happen.

“Now, Nissan has come out with not only back-up camera, but it’s called “360 view”,” Fisher said. “So that gives you a 360 view of your rear camera, side camera, front camera while the vehicle is in reverse.”

Fisher says all of this new technology is, without a doubt, worth it.

On Thursday, a two-year-old girl died after a family member, driving a vehicle in forward gear, ran over her in the driveway. This situation might be more common than you think.

“We were seeing and documenting 50 children a week being backed over,” Tara LaMonte, the Assistant Director of Kids and Cars said.

LaMonte said this led them to help get a new law passed.

“Starting May 1, 2018, all vehicles sold or leased in the united states that are under 10,000 pounds, have to have a rear-view back-up camera,” LaMonte said.

LaMonte says even if you can’t afford a brand new car with an existing back-up cam, you can buy your own back-up cam and have it easily installed on your car.

“Vehicles now also have what’s called “cross-traffic assist’ in our cars,” Shane Heffernan, with Audi Cape Fear said. “For example, if you’re backing up and you’re getting ready to back into something, it will autonomously press the brake for you.”

Heffernan says safety features can even alert you when you’re drifting between lanes on the highway.

Are all the safety features worth it?

“No doubt about it,” Fisher said.

Fisher and Heffernan both say the 360-view cameras are a big trend right now, and they expect the feature to become standard in most cars in the future