Old Car, New Tech: Retrofit Your Vehicle With Innovative Safety Features

If you own an older car, there is a good chance that it will not have some of the safety features that now come as standard on a lot of newer models, but that doesn’t mean you just have to accept that you can’t enjoy the same level of safety simply because of its age.

Accidents and injuries happen on our roads every day, and Dallas truck lawyer TateLawOffices.com is constantly handling claims for clients. If you want to feel safer behind the wheel, did you know that you could retrofit your vehicle with innovative safety features?

Rapidly changing technology

There is no question that technology is moving at a furious pace and our modern world is a very different one these days with so many gadgets and innovations, and vehicles have definitely benefitted from rapidly changing technology.

It wasn’t so long ago that you would buy a vehicle that didn’t have Xeon lights or an advanced driver assist system (ADAS) for example, but these sort of features now regularly appear in specifications for new vehicle models.

ADAS is a good example of the sort of technology and safety features that you can add to an older vehicle.

This type of system helps to prevent and reduce the occurrence of accidents on our roads and you can benefit from a collision avoidance system with audio and visual warnings, even if this was not a feature available when your car was made.

Dashboard device

A number of well known companies who supply automotive navigation and safety systems have released dashboard devices, which allow drivers of older vehicles to enjoy the sort of protection currently afforded to drivers of newer cars.

For somewhere in the region of between $400 and $500, you should be able to find a device that attaches to your dashboard without any difficulties. Once installed, you can benefit from features like driving directions, a collision-warning system and a camera in the tablet, which constantly monitors the road ahead and warns you if it considers that a crash is imminent.

Every manufacturer is slightly different with the features it offers, with devices from Garmin and Brand Motion for example, providing a facility where it will alert you if you stray out of your lane and records video, which could be vital evidence in the event of a crash.

Distracted driving

The crash statistics for distracted driving don’t make good reading and any technology that helps you to keep your eyes on the road should be a welcome addition to your vehicle.

A startup company called Navdy epitomizes just how far automotive technology has advanced in recent years. Their dashboard device is designed to project directions and text messages directly onto your windshield, so you can be looking at the road and not your smartphone, which has to be good for road safety.

Automakers are always going to be keen to fill their cars with the latest gadgets in order to persuade you to buy a newer model, but there is no reason why you can’t retrofit your older vehicle with some of these innovative safety features.

Aidan Cooke is a car fanatic; a good job since his day job is as a fleet manager! In his spare time he enjoys tinkering with his own car to improve performance, track days and also writing car articles which appear online.